Lying From You
by AdventRain
Summary: Under pressure from his advisors, Otokage Uchiha Sasuke must find a matriarch to carry on his bloodline. When Team Hawk returns with a flawless beauty, he can't believe their choice for him is a woman he hasn't seen in almost eight years...SasuSaku.
1. Chapter 1: Checkmate

**Chapter 1: Checkmate.**

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_-----Hope decays…Generations disappear…Washed away as a nation simply stares. -----_

_-The Little Things Give You Away, Linkin Park -_

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"_Akatsuki has fallen…" _

The news had spread like wildfire the day the unpopular crime organization had been reduced to ash. As their plans to capture the nine powerful tailed beasts had been thwarted, their aspirations for a totalitarian regime had become an impossible reality. Any threat they had once posed to the sanctity of the ninja world had all but evaporated.

Uchiha Sasuke smirked as he recalled his hand in their defeat. They had underestimated their grasp over him, as most who used him as their lackey normally did.

The twisted truth Uchiha Madara had spun to use Sasuke for his own purposes had become unravelled. It became apparent that Madara had been the sole player in the twisted games the Konohagakure government had once conducted as he had influenced both the planned coup d'état on the side of his clan and the decision to use Uchiha Itachi to exterminate the threat of rebellion. Added to the fact that Madara had been the culprit who had unleashed the nine-tails fox demon on the village, as well as the one who aided in the merciless slaughter of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke had finally understood his place in the endless game of chess that had become his life.

While Sasuke's older brother had died at his own hands, it was not without purpose. Itachi had ensured that Sasuke's tragic upbringing would one day lead to the obliteration of Madara while passing on Amaterasu to aid him in their final battle.

Upon revelation of the true reason for his damnable existence, Uchiha Sasuke had spared Konohagakure for their implementation in the demise of his family. He would follow his brother's ideals and recognize that the Uchiha clan had torn itself apart from the inside out, and would have, with or without Konoha's influence. Thus was the cruel fate of immense power.

Now, five years after Akatsuki's destruction, Sasuke remains standing as the last surviving member of the Uchiha bloodline. Despite the redemption that should have been his, Konohagakure still considered him an outcast, and as he could only vaguely recall the life he had once led, this suited him just fine.

He had returned to the only other location he knew could serve as his new home: Otogakure.

The village, after the demise of his last mentor, Orochimaru, had dispersed only to be re-formed by outcasts from every great country. Upon his return, there had been no doubt amongst its residents that Sasuke had the right to become the village's leader, and had declared him to be the Otokage.

While the five most powerful hidden villages would never consider him to be a true Kage, Otogakure had become a stable and economically growing force in the Land of Sound that would someday join their ranks.

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As he took his seat at the head of the table in the circular council chamber, Sasuke heard the familiar hush as his nine advisors turned to give him the full attention his position demanded.

"Status report." Sasuke requested.

"We've had twelve completed missions this past week; one of which was an A-rank mission for Sunagakure. We have five more requests pending, three for Kirigakure and two for Kumogakure. Our alliance with these villages continues to strengthen our economy. The Academy reports amazing progress in the village's young, while current team leaders express their satisfaction with the work of their pupils. Construction on the improvements in our east-district is near completion. Plans for next month's festival celebrating the arrival of the Kazekage's visit are well underway." The advisor to his right had stood to read the summary from his clipboard.

Sasuke nodded, notifying the speaker to take his seat. He was definitely satisfied with the way his village had been developing at a rapid pace.

"Ensure the construction is complete before our guest arrives. We need our town to be presentable during his stay if we have any hopes of receiving his continual support. This sojourn is crucial if we are to prove to the Kazekage that his trust in us is not misplaced." He reminded his advisors.

"Of course, Otokage-sama." They all agreed simultaneously.

"Are there any other matters to be discussed?" Sasuke asked of them. There was a minute's hesitation as each advisor looked to their neighbour as if wondering who would be the one to speak up. When no one volunteered, Sasuke grew impatient.

"Well?" He demanded.

"T-there's just one more m-matter of business…"The advisor to his left was obviously anxious as he was the first to speak up.

"And why are you all reluctant to inform me of this 'matter'?" Sasuke questioned, his voice gaining a powerful edge.

"As your council members, Otokage-sama, we're here to advise you on all affairs that concern Otogakure," Another spoke, "And as such, we'd like you to take into consideration our next recommendation…"

"Rather, we were wondering if you had any plans to produce an heir who may someday take up your position in this village as it clearly belongs to none other than an Uchiha. There are no other candidates as you haven't taken on any students of your own, nor endowed any rights to succession to any of our top ninja." The advisor to his right finished.

"It hasn't crossed my mind." Sasuke stated bluntly, "And you all know that I've already made the decision final that I won't take on any students to train under my direction. I also haven't felt the need to begin contemplating a possible successor as I've many years ahead of me to lead this village into a prosperous future."

"Please accept our apology, Otokage-sama. We did not mean to offend you, nor to criticize your leadership. We were just wondering if you had any inclination to find yourself a matriarch." An advisor further down the table insisted.

"I haven't." Sasuke spoke in an annoyed tone, "This meeting's over." He stood abruptly.

The advisors scrambled to do the same out of respect for their Kage. Once he had left, they looked to each other nervously, hoping they hadn't overstepped their boundaries.

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"The Council thinks I need to find a wife." Sasuke spoke, his voice deadpan.

"They what?!" Karin shrieked annoyingly. Team Hawk stood around Sasuke in the main room of his lavish home. The mismatched team had decided of their own free will to continue following their once temporary leader. Karin had insisted her skills could still be of some use to him, though her real reasons were obvious.

"They want me to find a matriarch who can pass on my bloodline." Sasuke continued, ignoring her.

"Ridiculous." Jugo muttered, shaking his head. When his former companion had sacrificed his life to deliver the man standing before him to Orochimaru, Jugo had first joined the team due to his need to use Sasuke to keep his enraged state in check. Now, however, he had developed a reliance on the Uchiha that had, in time, necessitated their friendship.

"Yeah, it's as if the imbeciles have no clue who you are," Suigetsu agreed. He had decided that sticking with the new Otokage was the best way for him to finish "collecting his swords" as he was often allowed the freedom to use whatever records and information the village had been collecting to track them down, as long as the village's name would never be implemented in his hobby. "I mean c'mon! Karin's been trying for years to get with you-" He snickered before being interrupted by a forceful smack on the head from Karin.

"Anyways, it's not just like you'd find a woman just to use her as your baby-factory." She stated logically.

"Hn," Came Sasuke's reply. He hadn't thought of that. His advisors had stressed he should find himself a bride, but what if he didn't actually have to (dare he think the word) _love_ her? "Maybe that's what I'll have to do." Sasuke informed them.

"Eh!?" Karin shouted in disbelief.

"Shut yer yap Karin." Suigetsu berated her, now deaf in his left ear. Karin replied with a death glare.

"Makes sense," Jugo turned to Sasuke, "They demand an heir but it doesn't have to be troublesome for you."

"Yeah it's not like you have to force yourself to dig some chick just to make the bastards happy." Suigetsu interjected.

"We can find you the perfect matriarch who doesn't need affection to be satisfied…" Jugo suggested.

"No way! I'm not taking any part in this!" Karin crossed her arms and lifted her chin in defiance, giving a little 'hmph'.

"Oh hey now Karin, there's no need to be jealous!" Suigetsu poked her, earning him another smack to the head. "Watch it will you! You're gonna start giving me brain damage…" He complained.

"Maybe if you had any brains to begin with…" She muttered.

Sasuke overlooked Karin's statement, knowing she'd do whatever he asked of her, as he contemplated the proposition briefly.

"Alright, it'll be your new mission. Make sure the woman knows all the details; I don't want her getting the wrong impression." He instructed them.

Karin's facial expression showed she couldn't believe the task that had been assigned to her. Jugo and Suigetsu nodded in understanding.

"Don't worry; we'll bring back quite the catch!" Suigetsu encouraged jokingly as they all turned to leave.

As Sasuke watched the odd team disappear into the night, somehow he didn't feel too reassured.

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**Author's Note: **A short first chapter just to set the stage; could have even called it a prologue of sorts but I decided against it. What do you think? Good idea? Lame already? Confused? Let me know and review! Thanks for reading! :D


	2. Chapter 2: Chance

**Chapter 2: Chance.**

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_--Things aren't the way they were before, you wouldn't even recognize me anymore; not that you knew me back then but it all comes back to me, in the end.--_

_--In The End, Linkin Park--_

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"We've reached the outskirts of Konohagakure." Jugo informed his team mates as they paused for a moment.

"Why should we even waste our time there? I mean, it's not as though we're welcome anyways..." Karin grudgingly gave her input.

"We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't, and we're not going to stop searching until we've covered all five major villages." Jugo sternly instructed her. He'd been growing impatient with the fiery red head, which could lead to being very detrimental to the team without the presence of Sasuke.

"And what about all the women I've pointed out so far?" Karin whined, shielding her eyes from the brilliant noonday sun. They had crossed the border between the Land of Sound and the Land of Fire at around midnight and hadn't slowed or stopped to rest since that point in time. Added to her already miserable attitude, the exertion from their fast-paced journey was beginning to exhaust her.

"Oh give me a break Karin! Every chick you've pointed out so far has been butt-ass ugly! Who're you tryna fool?" Suigetsu answered.

"And all of your choices were either feeble, unseasoned, or already the wife of some unfortunate soul." Jugo added.

"Who'd have thought average, single men such as yourselves would have been so damn picky..." Karin sniffed, despite the fact that she knew full-well the pair of them had neither the time nor the patience to put up with a relationship.

"I've had my share of the ladies but even I wouldn't go for the likes of them." Suigetsu remarked.

"We already know you're going to be less than helpful, Karin." Jugo stated. It was common knowledge that their female team member flaunted her obsession for their leader at every possible moment.

"Yeah, so just quit your bitchin' and let's get on with this sideshow!" Suigetsu dashed ahead before Karin had time to react.

"Get back here!" She shouted, pursuing him with Jugo close on her tail.

As they sped through the forest, jumping agilely from branch to branch, Karin soon forgot the chase as high walls began to appear through the gaps in the trees. They halted their mad race only a few elms away from Konohagakure's outer boundary.

"You know what to do." Jugo spoke, before the three of them leapt from their branches to the hidden village's western entrance.

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Any civilian, who may have been observing Konoha's western gates at around noon that day, would have seen an unlikely trio stroll carelessly into their town. But it being lunchtime, there were few who cared to stand witness as an old granny, a young child and a middle-aged man walked into the heart of the market district of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. There was an even less amount of people who paid any attention to what the three were discussing; and those who might've overheard any snippets of their conversation would never have been able to piece together the gist of what they were saying.

"Papa, what about that one over there?" The young boy pointed excitedly into one particular crowd while tugging on the man's hand.

"No, son, that won't do." The man replied, giving the young boy a pat on the head, "But what do you think of the one by the fruit stand?" The man directed his question to the granny. If anyone had been paying close enough attention, they would have observed the granny cast a death glare in the direction of the fruit cart.

"Mediocre." The granny croaked out. The young boy sneakily stuck his tongue out at the old woman before moving behind the man for protection.

The trio of strangers continued on in this fashion for the better part of the afternoon, muttering nonsense all along the way.

As they came across a small florists shop, the middle-aged man stopped in his tracks.

"That one!" He insisted.

"Perfect!" Squeaked his son, who nodded excitedly in agreement.

In the florists shop stood a gorgeous blue-eyed blonde who was selling a bouquet of roses to a customer. She was tall, slim, and muscular and donned a revealing purple outfit and fishnet leggings.

"No." The granny almost snarled before she stormed away.

As the middle-aged man and his son caught up to her, they began harassing her with their questions.

"Why not?!" The young boy yelled.

"What was wrong with her?" The man questioned.

"She was wearing a wedding ring." The granny replied simply.

The man and his son sighed in defeat before the trio continued on once again.

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Earlier that morning, as the sun had just begun to rise, the Otokage was roused from his sleep by an unusual disturbance. From out in his front courtyard came the boisterous sounds of a rather large and rather feminine crowd.

"What the hell's going on?" He muttered to himself as he climbed out of bed to investigate. As he opened his shuttered windows, he was wrought by a mixture of confusion and outrage by the sight before him. He quickly turned and dressed in his traditional black uniform, emblazoned with the Uchiha fan and Otogakure symbol, before heading towards the hallway entrance of the Otokage residence.

Conveniently, his nine advisors stood before the double doors that led to the courtyard.

"What's the meaning of this?" Sasuke demanded as he approached them, motioning with his hand towards the commotion outside.

"I overheard your decision to send your team on a mission to find yourself a matriarch." One spoke.

"We were delighted to hear you had changed your mind." Another continued.

"But it seemed highly inefficient to send only three ninja out to search the nation when you could have just brought the women to you." A third piped up.

"And so we sent out the word that Otokage Uchiha Sasuke was searching for a bride." The first chipped in again.

"Women have been arriving since the early hours of the morning!" Yet another advisor exclaimed.

"Stop." Sasuke breathed. It was unnecessary for him to raise his voice. His deathly tone had them all hushed, "You are to send them back immediately." He instructed them.

"But Otokage-sama-" One advisor had the courage to try and argue.

"Silence." Sasuke hissed, interrupting him, "You are my _advisors_; you do not make my decisions for me."

"We can't send them back! They've been arriving from as far as the Earth Country!" The advisor persisted.

"And they continue to file into the city!" Another pitched in.

Sasuke paused for a moment. It seemed ridiculous that so many women would have come this far for a chance to be betrothed to him. Then again, being the wife to the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan must have been their key motivation. In which case, the women beyond the doors in front of him would be interested solely for the sake of notoriety.

"Alright, open the doors." He directed them.

Some of the advisors began to smile at the instruction, while others held worried expressions.

"Are you sure, Otokage-sama?" One of the nervous-looking ones questioned.

"It might improve our relations with the other countries if it is heard that the leader of Otogakure spent his time considering their women as possible matriarchs." Sasuke smirked, "And as it seems you all enjoy taking matters into your own hands, you'll be the ones to judge the hundreds of candidates beyond this door."

"As you wish, Otokage-sama." They bowed in unison.

"And if you ever neglect to inform me of your actions again, the consequences will be far more severe." He informed them menacingly as two of the guard pushed open the doors.

The level of noise emanating from the crowd increased drastically as the women outside struggled to catch sight of the infamous Uchiha. Closer to the mass than he had been when he had first observed them, Sasuke perceived various fan girl signs and other such emblems denoting a desire that proved his first guess for why the women were present to be erroneous. Suddenly his logical decision seemed to have been his fatal mistake. Before he could raise his doubts however, his advisors were already setting the stage.

"We should let them in ten at a time." An advisor contributed his recommendation.

"Very well; let's begin." Another agreed.

As the first group of women were courteously directed inside, the Otokage's advisors ensured that the council chamber would be stripped of its furnishings, leaving only enough chairs for Sasuke and themselves.

The women were instructed to briefly introduce themselves one at a time to allow for complete recognition. After they all had a chance to speak, the council members would decide which, if any, were to be reconsidered in their final, more select group. The advisors would also consult Sasuke for his opinion, but he was being less than co-operative. As they would compliment the women for their positive qualities, Sasuke continued to find some sort of fault in every one of them.

It was the type of ridiculous situation the Otokage would have never believed he'd find himself in. Women whom he had never met before would either profess their undying affections towards him or enlighten him to the fact that the stars had foretold their destiny together. There were a few who admitted that their possible union would hold only significance in regards to family honour; but these rare candidates unfortunately did not display the other attributes associated with becoming a suitable matriarch.

Sasuke sighed as he predicted his day was to be a long one.

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"We've searched nearly every corner of this boring town! It's pointless to keep looking here." An old grey-haired granny complained to her two companions.

"This is the last neighbourhood we have to check." The middle-aged man informed her, a hint of threat in his voice. One more complaint from the old wench and he would have had enough of her.

"Fine, but I still don't see why…" The granny mumbled as she hobbled along.

"I think I see a reason!" The young boy exclaimed, pointing in the direction of a quaint little house.

On the front steps stood a unique bright pink-haired beauty that appeared to be scrambling to open her front door while juggling bags of grocery.

"Let me help you with that madam." The middle aged man rushed to the aid of the woman before the granny could have time to protest.

"Oh, thank you!" The woman was grateful. Up close, the man could tell she was far more stunning than any of the others he'd been scouting all day. Once he'd taken the shopping bags from her, he was amazed by their weight and re-evaluated the slender woman's strength. Her jade eyes reflected her sincerity as her soft voice resonated sweetly. She was the one.

As she opened her door and turned to take her groceries from the considerate man, she gasped in shock to find his appearance had completely changed. The countenances of his two companions whom she had observed from the road had also been altered. Where an old granny, a young boy, and a middle-aged man had once stood, there were now three completely new individuals. The currently youthful male before her had spiky hair and peculiar attributes, while his comrades were a spunky red haired woman and a shoulder-length, silver haired man.

As she tossed her groceries to one side and took on an aggressive stance, the male closest to her held up his hands as if to mean no harm.

"Please, let us explain." He tried to coax her.

"And why should I listen to a trio of strangers who have been wandering around my village in disguise?" She questioned menacingly as she focused chakra into her fists.

"We've been sent on behalf of our Otokage." He informed her.

"Otokage?" She questioned. She'd heard rumours of a new self-proclaimed Kage though she had never taken it into much consideration.

"Yes, the leader of Otogakure…Uchiha Sasuke."

Her concentration broke and her stance eased as her heart skipped a beat from hearing the distantly familiar name.

_Sasuke…_

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It was nearing sunset as the Otokage pinched the bridge of his nose to try and ease the massive headache he had gained many hours ago. While the crowd outside was dwindling, the long and tedious process of evaluating various women seemed as though it would never end.

"That one has quite a lot to offer, Otokage-sama." His left-hand advisor whispered to him as a cute woman with short black hair and petite stature finished her short speech meant to win him over.

"No." He muttered back, for what felt like the millionth time that day. He had given up trying to explain his reasoning for his constant rejections and instead, settled for his short, sweet and new favourite word.

There were only a handful of women who had been chosen to be reconsidered after the initial crowd dissipated; but these were chosen solely by the council members who had begun to disregard their stubborn Kage's wishes. They, after all, didn't want to appear entirely crude.

As the ten they had just finished interviewing turned to leave, Sasuke rose from his seat.

"I'm going to tell the rest of them not to bother." He spoke to his advisors before they could question his actions.

"But Otokage-sama!" A few began to protest.

"No. I won't listen to any more of this nonsense. This is not the way I want to find my matriarch." He informed them. He quickly strode from the council chamber and into the hallway as his muttering advisors followed suit. Approaching the open front doors, he announced to his guard to halt the proceedings. He then made his way to stand on the landing at the top of the short stairs to the courtyard, addressing the remaining women crowded at the base of the steps. After the initial clamour, the small crowd stilled and listened intently to the Otokage's next words.

"While it is appreciated that all of you have come so far-" He began to lie before he was interrupted by the sudden reappearance of Team Hawk by his side.

"Hey who threw a party and didn't invite me?" Suigetsu joked as he observed the crowd before him.

"And who invited this sexist group?" Karin muttered as she noticed the abundance of females.

"I hope we haven't arrived too late." Jugo spoke.

"It's been a while, Sasuke-_kun._" Came a vaguely familiar voice though the honorific had a mocking edge.

"Excuse me!" An advisor reprimanded the strange woman, "But do you have any idea who you're speaking to?"

"Of course," She stepped forward from behind the protection of Team Hawk to be seen more clearly before continuing, "He's the great Uchiha Sasuke: former Team Seven member, ex-pupil of the late Orochimaru, founder of Team Hawk, past affiliate of Akatsuki, and current village leader of Otokagure. And a man particularly talented at betraying all those who've ever considered him a loyal comrade…" She finished, her voice turning bitter.

Sasuke stood in stunned silence as his advisors muttered disapprovingly of the strange woman. He could vaguely make out their disappointment that such an obviously independent and gorgeous woman could have been so brash.

And although it had been more than eight years since the last time he had seen her, there was no doubt in his mind that the woman his team had inadvertently chosen for him was none other than...

"Haruno Sakura…" He spoke, as jade met onyx.

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**Author's Note: **Oh my, seven pages! I hope you guys weren't too disappointed that I ended it there :P There's always next chapter afterall XD I'd been working on this one for a while and kept running into writer's block and disappointment that it wasn't turning out the way I had hoped. I figured it might've just been because it feels like a filler-chapter just to get Sakura to where she needs to be lol. I don't really enjoy writing the in-between things too much. Anyways, thanks so much for all the positive feedback! Do continue to give me your input! Oh, and thanks for reading! :D

**Special Thanks To: **

**HannahsaurusRex And Chasezilla**

**WildCherryLollipop**

**Chantrea Moonbeam**

**sakka san **

**md5will**

**Kenzie**

**Laura-chan**

**MyUsedRomance**

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only **

**Black Shadow Fox Shaman**

**Kon Bubble Blaster**

**Wulfgirl1**

**Sayaka Uchiha**

**Roxnroll**

**Kikyoevil**

**dominiqueanne**


	3. Chapter 3: Conflict

**Chapter 3: Conflict**

_-I remember back then who you were, you used to be calm, used to be strong, used to be generous but you should've known, that you'd wear out your welcome, now you see how quiet it is, all alone._-

-_A Place For My Head, Linkin Park_-

"Haruno Sakura..." He spoke, as jade met onyx.

"Eh? You know this chick?" Suigetsu's mouth gaped.

"Idiot! Of course they know each other! Why else would she have followed us, no questions asked?" Karin scoffed, as though the concept should have been self-evident. She had noticed immediately the clear recognition on the pinkette's face when Jugo had mentioned Sasuke's name. Jugo would not hear any of her protestations as her jealousy had flared, and had decided for the entire team that their search was over. She vaguely remembered a time when she might have seen the same pink-haired woman before, but it had been so long ago, she couldn't quite place it.

"So then...Why did we still bring her?" Suigetsu looked stumped. Karin smacked her head in annoyance of his apparent slowness.

"Who better than someone he is already familiar with?" Jugo replied, "It seemed only logical..."

"Seemed...Past tense." Suigetsu acknowledged, as the tension between the pink-haired kunoichi they had located and their leader grew as the seconds ticked by-neither taking their eyes off the other.

"Oh well! I guess we'll just have to bring her back and keep looking." Karin added, a little too hopefully, as she also noted the tension and the glare the woman they had found was giving Sasuke.

As she made to move towards Sakura as if to tug on her arm and get her to leave, Sasuke interrupted her.

"Karin," Sasuke spoke. She paused and turned to look at him, though his attention never strayed from Sakura. "Clear away the women gathered here. Let them all know the search is over." He ordered her.

He knew she would take pleasure in sending away what she would have believed were her competition and he hoped that would distract her from believing he meant to take the woman they had found as his matriarch.

"Alright," She said cheerfully, seemingly falling for his ploy. She turned to descend the large staircase and towards the crowd of females, before glancing back at her two other team members. "Oi, help me with this." She commanded them, her death glare leaving no room for arguments. Together, the three of them began to clear out the disappointed women, Karin behaving perhaps too offensively and threatening the reputation of Otogakure.

"Make sure our departing guests receive a proper send off," Sasuke ordered a nearby council member, who immediately nodded and scurried off to do as he was asked, pulling along a few other members to aid in his task. One of the advisors berated Karin as he walked passed her, undoubtedly scolding her for her temper.

"Follow me." Sasuke instructed Sakura, easily ignoring the commotion in his courtyard. She followed wordlessly, although he could feel her glare boring into the back of his head.

He led her to his private garden, away from the eyes and ears of the remaining advisors and guards whose curiosity of the brash woman had grown immensely.

Sakura took in her surroundings, noting the garden seemed more like a personal training ground than a place for relaxation, although remnants of attempted landscaping remained. A chipped and cracked fountain stood in the middle of the small area, surrounded by dried out brush. Simple stone pathways wove in and out of the dead flower beds, while a couple peculiar wind chimes hung from the trees that edged the grounds. Still, target dummies had been erected, evenly spaced out, amongst pathetic shrubbery, while many of the cracks and flaws in the rock of the area were evidently made by ninja weaponry and powerful jutsu.

Upon approaching, Sakura had expected a lot less of the self-proclaimed village. As it had once belonged to Orochimaru, and had been made up of nothing but hideouts and cave-like bases, the walls, buildings, and architecture that had been developed in the last several years were remarkable. That architecture could be seen in the distance, as the garden lay behind the magnificent structure Sakura guessed was Sasuke's residence, which in turn, rested against the side of a mountain, overlooking the village.

Sasuke stopped a few feet shy of an outcropping at the far end of the garden. A small fence had been built to warn of the sheer cliff face and steep drop to the valley below, while a few trees framed the area.

Sakura stopped a good distance away from him, continuing to glare at his figure.

He took note of the uncomfortable silence that settled about them, before tearing his gaze from the village and turning to face her.

"...Didn't expect to see you." He tempted, wondering why she wasn't being forthcoming. It was unusual for his former team mate not to start yammering away, or call out to him.

Sakura's brow furrowed.

"Tch, that's the best you can do after _eight years_?" She scoffed, crossing her arms in annoyance.

Sasuke, who was not entirely expecting such a cold response, remained quiet.

"Well?" She pursued expectantly, "You're not going to say anything?" She raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

Sasuke gave her an indifferent shrug. He could not guess at what she had been expecting.

"I can't believe this!" His small gesture had infuriated her, "All this time..._Eight years!_ I thought...No, I _hoped _you were dead." He could hear her struggle to keep her voice under control.

"Sorry to disappoint." He muttered as he shifted to lean casually against a tree.

"Why..." She seemed sincerely confused.

"Why what?" He yawned from his exhaustion of having dealt with the proceedings of the day, not bothering to try and stifle it.

"Why the hell didn't you even try..." She struggled in her anger for a moment, "Why didn't you even _bother _with us!" She almost shouted at him, fuelled by the yawn that had appeared to be yet another rude gesture.

The tension in the air around them grew, becoming almost tangible. Sasuke's muscles tensed almost reflexively.

"The war was over! Madara was dead! But you still..." Her voice trailed away as she seemed momentarily distracted.

He couldn't stop the knot from forming within his stomach as he understood why.

"You know, I never thought I'd look at you and see someone completely different." She accused him. He subconsciously stood up straight and raised his chin a fraction.

"I mean, I knew you weren'tSasuke-_kun _anymore, but even in your hatred I was at least able to recognize you." She elaborated when he wasn't offering the reaction she was looking for.

"Tch." Was all he replied.

"Those are your brother's then?" The question was filled with spite.

He gave a stiff nod in response, though he knew she was fully aware of the answer. He tried somewhat unsuccessfully to fight away the sharp pang in his chest.

"You actually went through with it..." She sounded both disbelieving and disgusted, and he became immediately aggravated with her presence.

"I had no other choice." He said, without an ounce of remorse, though he had great difficulty trying to suppress what could only have been described as shame as it welled up inside of him.

A cocky smirk played on her lips. It seemed out of place as he realized it should have been on his face, and not hers.

"That's always the excuse, isn't it?" She questioned, and he took it to be rhetorical. "I guess you still haven't figured out things aren't always so black and white." She continued with a bitter edge creeping back into her voice. She had difficulty coming to terms with the way he had spoken so casually about the transplant. It was as if taking his brother's eyes from his dead corpse in order to save himself from going blind was a subject that was as easy and normal to discuss as commenting on the weather.

He simply stared at her, with the eyes that were not his own. A familiar annoyed look was etched on his features.

"Alright, fine. Just stand there and don't say anything. You were always _great _at that."

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose to try and quell his oncoming headache, an action he had become accustomed to over his years of dealing with Team Hawk and his occasionally frustrating advisors. He briefly contemplated getting said Team to escort his former team mate back to Konoha, simply to put an end to her accusatory glares and verbal assaults. He pushed that option aside almost as quickly as it had appeared to him, however, when he realized she would not go quietly. She had so very clearly accompanied his Team with an agenda, and was not about to leave without having said what she had come to say. And as aggravating as his encounter with her was becoming, he could not ignore that the intense range of emotion playing behind her eyes and the fury she was directing at him, left him a bit intrigued. But only a bit.

Sakura grew impatient with waiting for him to speak.

"How could you just never come back?" Her brows knitted further together, if it were even possible. He was not entirely sure if he had heard an underlying sadness in her disbelieving accusation, though he supposed it did not matter.

"I'm surprised you don't know." He replied, although he did not look or sound it.

"Know what?" She demanded.

"I never hid my existence." He replied.

"What does that have to do-" She started.

"Think." He ordered her in his leader-like tone, "Why did you think I was dead?"

Sakura frowned.

"Naruto said..." She began.

"Exactly." He interrupted her.

It seemed to dawn on her in that moment. He recalled she had never been the slow type.

"I can't believe this." She muttered, realizing Naruto had lied just to keep her from fighting the fact that Sasuke had _never _intended to return. He had, in his very Naruto-like way, lied to protect her. _A lot of good that did..._She thought to herself, _Still, I thought he'd never give up the fight to get him back..._

Silence fell upon them again as she fell into her inner contemplations.

Sasuke sighed out of boredom, and she realized he was waiting for her to say something or ask questions.

"All this time, I was so damn jealous of the two of you..." She said finally, while shaking her head slowly in disbelief of her own words.

"Tch." He scoffed, "What the hell was there to be jealous about?"

"Your strength." She shrugged, "I was always so useless that I ended up believing I wanted to become just as strong as you both were constantly becoming."

He gave her a look she recalled he would always give Naruto when he was doing or saying anything senseless. A look that screamed _dobe. _

She quickly shook off the nostalgia.

"I didn't realize I could never pay the price of that power. I didn't notice I wouldn't be able to, because I _couldn't _suffer any of what either of you had been through." She murmured, averting her gaze to the beat-up old fountain as she recalled simpler times. Sasuke's jaw clenched as he knew all too well what she was referring to.

"You actually had convinced me that I could never understand any of it...That I would never be able to empathize with you or Naruto." She looked back at him.

He raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the tree, feeling more comfortable with this string of conversation than the last. His expression seemed to ask 'how'.

"It was the night you'd left." She gave in reply, seemingly laughing at herself.

"Hn." He muttered, acknowledging that he remembered. He crossed his arms, but his expression remained unreadable.

"After that, I felt as though anything I did would never make a difference. I'd still be miles behind both of you, while being entirely incapable of understanding either of you." Her voice had lost her accusatory edge, as though she did not blame him for her personal revelation.

A smirk seemed to play at the corners of his mouth. At least she had finally _got _it.

His almost-smirk did not go unnoticed. She frowned as she realized he probably believed he'd helped her accomplish something she had needed.

"But then I suffered too." She added quickly, feeling the need to cast blame again.

It was Sasuke's turn to frown slightly, the smirk disappearing.

"It wasn't anything like having a demon of hatred locked up inside of me, or having to face the horrible truth of my clan's annihilation." She added, before he could even think of mocking her.

Sasuke's jaw clenched so tightly he thought his teeth might shatter.

She paused a second longer before continuing, noticing the obvious frustration she was causing him. She briefly wondered if the term 'annihilation' had been too crude, but she viciously reminded herself that this man was undeserving of her tact.

"What I had suffered was the loss of both of my team mates." She asserted.

"Both?" Sasuke managed to grit out.

"Oh that's right, you don't know. Of course you don't. How could you possibly know, having been holed up in this self-proclaimed village of yours?" She asked, sarcasm dripping off every syllable. It seemed her anger was returning with a vengeance as she recalled he had been the source of her suffering.

"Spit it out." He almost growled.

"Naruto's as much of a stranger to me now as you are." Her accusing tone took him off guard.

He scowled and she knew he didn't understand.

"He had abandoned me too." She stated, as though it was an unchangeable fact-as though she were noting that the sky was blue and the grass was green. It seemed she had learned a few things from the stoic man in her presence. "He had left me, to find you, without so much as even letting me know."

It took Sasuke a moment to recall that she had not been there. She hadn't accompanied Naruto during their last encounter.

He made no physical reaction as a sudden realization struck him. He had torn apart the bonds of his team mates as well.

"He came home looking like a living corpse. I worked on healing him for weeks, but he had still fallen into a coma from all the blood loss and chakra depletion. It was almost half a year before he finally came through. I thought he was gone." Her eyes seemed to be looking at the scene from years ago. "I punched him the moment he opened his eyes, and I probably would have beat him right back into a coma if Tsunade-sama hadn't stepped in."

Sasuke remained passive. She focussed her attention back to the present and set him with a hard stare.

"I'm a medical-nin. I heal people. That's what I do. And somehow he still didn't think I was useful enough to take along..." She struggled with her next words, "He almost died."

Sasuke gave a curt nod, as if to express that he understood all too well how near-death their experience had been. He had also been subject to intensive treatments for his near-fatal wounds.

"I wouldn't talk to him after that. It took a couple years before he gave up trying to apologize." She continued, "And then he became Hokage."

Sasuke did not react; this was not news to him.

"It didn't change the fact that I couldn't forgive him, but he managed to get my attention long enough to explain what had happened when he found you. I knew somehow he was hiding something from me. I just didn't think he'd lie about your death." She admitted, recalling the desolate and maddening few years she had spent fighting between her intense curiosity and her resentment of Naruto's abandonment.

"I always thought he was pretending when he said you would both die the next time you fought."

Sasuke knew she was hinting at how angry she had been that they actually almost had.

"I guess I should have just been happy that he managed to convince you of Madara's guilt. But I was too angry at him for agreeing to help you claim your vengeance on Konoha after he found out about Itachi." She clenched her fists. "I mean, what was he thinking?" The question was again, rhetorical, and loaded with frustration.

Sasuke wanted to point out that Naruto's decision had been made with Konoha's best interests at heart; that he had made a very conscientious choice. But he didn't. Instead he listened, feeling a bit more at ease knowing she had also learned the truth about Itachi.

"He told me he couldn't find you in the wreckage after you'd both taken on Madara, but that he would still keep his promise to you, even if you were dead." She recalled feeling the heavy weight on her chest as she had believed Sasuke had not survived. She remembered how pointless everything had seemed to become at that moment. Everything they had fought for, and struggled hard to attain, had simply vanished.

"I guess he must've known all along that you were planning to reform Otogakure." She bit out.

"It was the failsafe of our bargain...The collateral. If he failed to eradicate the council members responsible for my brother's mission, my village would ensure Konoha's destruction." He explained, in a seemingly bored manner.

Sakura gaped at him. _**That**__ was why Naruto didn't fight for him to come home? _She couldn't believe it.

"How could you-what was he-" She struggled to reign in the questions flooding her mind.

"It's a good thing he succeeded then, isn't it?" He interrupted her. His smirk was seemingly mocking her.

"Only because he had enough popular support to rally the clan leaders against them..." She couldn't accept the risks Naruto had taken, "He risked _everything _for you! He risked his _dream_! And still you never came back!" She was outraged.

"Do you really think Konoha would have welcomed the return of a nukenin? I would have been arrested on sight, interrogated, tortured, and then put to death. There's no mercy for those who defect."

"The Godaime had already agreed to show you leniency as a favour to Naruto-and when he became the Rokudaime, it's obvious he would have no objections of you returning as a citizen. He stopped seeing you as a threat to the village when he managed to convince you of Madara's guilt- not to mention that the _entire _shinobi world relieved you of your international criminal status after you helped to defeat your ancestor."

"There was nothing left for me there." He shrugged, indifferent as always, "What sense would it have made to return?"

"It was the place you were born and raised. The place you once called_ home_. And the place Naruto fought so hard to clear your name..." Sakura answered through gritted teeth, as though it were only obvious. She could still vividly recall the day Naruto had commissioned that all history texts were to be revised with the correct events of the night of the Uchiha Massacre, and the incredible resistance he had had to overcome.

"As if that changed anything." He scoffed, "Konoha was, and is, unlikely to accept the hand their very own officials had played in the extinction of one of their founding clans. It's also not likely that they'd simply forgive a traitor who threatened their complete destruction, whether or not their _hero_ urges them to do so." He was growing increasingly annoyed with her inability to come to reason, and, as a result, had inadvertently used a derogatory tone as he had said the word 'hero'.

She made to open her mouth to formulate more arguments before he interrupted her once more.

"Would_ you_ have welcomed me home, Sakura?" He asked, as though he knew the answer.

He knew she would never accept his return.

Not after he had attempted to kill her.

Not after he had threatened her village.

Not after she had believed him dead only to discover he had been alive all these years.

Not after getting Naruto to risk everything in order to redeem the Uchiha clan.

And _definitely_ not after having torn apart her relationship with Naruto.

She took a moment to process the question, fully aware of his underlying motives.

"Of course not." She replied coldly, "You were already dead to me. If you showed your face after disappearing for a _second _time, I might've tried to make your death a reality-whether or not Naruto tried to stop me." She tightened her jaw and clenched her fists as she realized she had helped him win the argument. If even his former team mate would not tolerate his return, the idea that the rest of the village wouldn't either was given credence.

"Naruto had figured as much. Why do you think he agreed that I should stay here, even if it meant a new threat? He knew my return was impossible."

"So everything he's done...Everything _we've _done...was all just for nothing?" She whispered, incredulous. It was the second time she had felt this way-the first having been when Naruto had lied about Sasuke's death. She found this time it was harder to swallow, as the sliver of hope she had felt when she suspected Naruto had been hiding something from her, was non-existent.

Sakura had long since given up on the idea that Sasuke would return peacefully and some semblance of normalcy would be reinstated. She stopped believing in the return of Team Seven the day he had attempted to strike her down. Her need for his return had become simply a desire to feel a sense of accomplishment. She had simply wanted to feel as though they had actually fought so hard for _something. _That all wasn't truly lost... When she had learned he was still breathing after having witnessed the continual effort Naruto had put into clearing his name...He _had _to return... For Naruto's sake...Not for hers.

He was the reason Naruto had lied to her, and the reason for why she had ignored him all these years.

He was the reason she was left alone, and seemingly forgotten.

He was the reason for everything.

He was the murderous traitor they had fought for, and who would never return.

Naruto had accepted that. Naruto had given up.

But she couldn't.

It was then that she reached for the katana strapped to her back, as if waging an inner debate about whether he should be killed now, for the sake of ending her eleven year long torment.

She paused with her hand on its hilt, not bothering to pull it from its sheath, her anger, hate, and determination seeming to falter. All she could think about was Naruto's future reaction if she decided to attack.

She was conflicted between bringing Sasuke back (in tiny little pieces or otherwise) just for the sake of giving some purpose to the past eleven years of her life; and the logical reasoning that killing him would not relieve her of the miserable truth that there was nothing more she or Naruto could do to see him back in Konohagakure...That there was nothing left of the Sasuke-kun she'd once known...

Sasuke subconsciously went into a defensive stance, and was hit with the sudden realization that it was peculiar that she bore such a weapon. As far as he could remember, he had been the only one of the former Team Seven to have ever found any kind of sword to be his weapon of choice. Although, he took pride in the fact that his Kusanagi was still far more unique than any ordinary katana.

He stared at her, confused, and unable to understand why it mattered so much to her that he had disappeared entirely from their lives, without so much as a backward glance, and with no intention of ever returning.

It was also strange that she displayed such a deep seated anger-almost akin to the hatred he had once harboured-despite having shown no real evidence of it before, even in the moments after he had attempted to kill her. He could somehow believe that she'd hold true to her word of trying to end his miserable life for all of the pain she seemed to have suffered, and seemingly still endured.

It was then that he realized her countenance was of one who would not even bat an eyelash before taking someone's life.

He took a moment to observe what she had been wearing, although it was not something he tended to do. Now that he actually bothered to take in her appearance, it seemed ridiculous to him that he had not recognized it sooner.

She was wearing an ANBU uniform.

Her hitai-ate was no where to be found, instead the Leaf Village symbol was tattooed in red on her upper arm. She wore a light grey sleeveless vest which covered a black tank top, while her kunai holster had been tied around her upper right thigh, accentuated against her tight black pants. She wore long black gloves, fitted with arm guards that were often used to conceal weapons, and a medical pack hung from her waist to rest on her hip. Her hair had grown long again, falling even further down her back than it had when they were twelve. Various scars could be seen on any areas of exposed skin, which he knew had to have been left purposefully, as chakra healing rarely left any trace of the wound that had been repaired.

Sakura shifted uneasily and sighed as she realized he was evaluating her appearance, finally removing her hand from the hilt of her katana. He eased his defensive stance in response.

"When I'd learned the truth about Itachi, I felt I could understand some of your actions, and maybe someday come to forgive them. But you never once believed I could have understood what you had to face...You were personally responsible for the loss of everything I cared about and wanted nothing more to do with me. You blindly threatened the lives of everyone in Konoha-the innocent and the guilty alike. But that wasn't enough for you! You tried to _kill _me-the girl you had _thanked _for caring so damn much about you." She paused, to stress the meaning of her words, before making a gesture as if displaying her outfit to him.

"So I joined the ANBU. Best combat medical-nin on the force. Taking out nukenin like you helped for a time..." She gave a bitter laugh. It was the kind of laugh that would make one's skin crawl, if one wasn't the last remaining Uchiha-someone who had been through hell and back, and someone who could not be affected by a retribution-seeking ex-team mate turned missing-nin hunter.

"Naruto may have been able to forgive you...I doubt he ever really held anything against you in the first place..." Her expression was grim as she shook her head slowly, "But I couldn't. There are just some things that can never be forgiven."

"Like assigning my brother a mission to eliminate our clan?" Sasuke retorted, his usually calm voice laced with a hint of malice.

It took a moment before Sakura nodded, agreeing with his accusatory suggestion.

"And attempting to kill those closest to you, more than once." She whispered as she averted her gaze to watch the sun's slow descent on the horizon.

Sasuke stuffed his fisted hands in the pockets of his black pants, and shrugged.

"What's done is done. There's nothing to forgive." He grit out, "There's only getting even."

Sakura's eyes flickered back to his figure.

"Only you would think that." She accused him, crossing her arms and deepening her scowl. "I wonder if you'd consider my dispatching you as 'getting even'."

"I would." He agreed, shrugging a little. He did not fear her, and did not consider her a real threat, even as she sported her intimidating uniform. After he had exacted his revenge on Madara, he had experienced liberation unlike anything he had felt before. His life had finally attained a sense of purpose, and accomplishment. The very person, who had caused him more strife than most ever had to face, had met his most deserving fate. For Sakura, if he had been the person who had made her suffer, he could not fault her for desiring a sense of retribution.

Sakura did not know how to respond.

Sensing that she had at last run out of things to say, Sasuke took a few tentative steps towards her.

"I'll show you to where you'll be staying."

"Staying? I only came to see if your lackeys were telling the truth." She pulled an ANBU mask out from her pack, and went to put it on. "Now that I've confirmed you're still breathing, and have no intention of returning, I have an annoying blonde to confront before I decide what to do about it." She turned to leave, though Sasuke did not miss the threat beneath her words.

"Wait," He spoke to her back, she paused a moment, noting the cruel irony of the situation. "If you stay here for a short time, and help sway the decision of my council members..." He seemed to struggle with his next words, "Then I will return with you to visit the dobe."

Minutes ticked by as she struggled with his proposition.

"What is it your council members want of you?" She finally spoke, half-turning towards him.

"An heir."

She couldn't help but give a sarcastic laugh.

"And how exactly do you think I could help with that?" She demanded, placing a hand on her hip as she turned to face him completely. _Why should I even bother? _She added mentally, though she knew she was intrigued. If he returned for even just a moment, it would mean victory at last. Besides, if he was still within reach after she confronted Naruto, it would be much easier to carry out whatever decision she finally made...She wouldn't have to come back to this pretentious village.

He realized she would be the perfect candidate to help him out of his predicament, knowing her hatred of him (and possible desire to kill him) would dissuade any kind of legitimacy in a mock relationship.

"If you convince them that I've agreed to take you as my matriarch, you won't have to. As long as they believe I have the inclination to someday restore the Uchiha clan, they won't press the matter." He explained.

"And how long would it take to convince them of that?" She struggled to keep her composure as every inch of her wanted to break out laughing at the fact that _Uchiha Sasuke _was having issues running his village.

"I would assume no more than a few weeks, figuring in your acting skills and what may seem the right amount of time to establish a relationship." He proposed, calculating the plan as if it were a mission they had just received. Again, Sakura fought the nostalgia.

"I'll agree to this on one condition." She offered, not bothering to argue with him about the fact that he had no reasonable idea how long building a relationship would take. He waited for her to continue.

"I'll give you exactly two week's worth of my time-and not a second more-if you give me your word that you will return to Konoha without resistance, as soon as that time is up."

Sasuke gave a curt nod.

"As long as you understand my return will only be a brief one." He added.

"Of course," She said, in a mockingly sweet voice. She smirked, before adding bitterly, "Your two weeks start today."

"Follow me." He said, as he headed back toward his residence.

As Sakura followed silently, observing the Uchiha crest he bore proudly upon his back, she wondered if killing him was the decision she would make. Would she feel as though following in his footsteps of revenge would resolve the hatred in her heart? Could she cut him down as she had so many others before him?

Would she?

XxxTBCxxX

**Author's Note**: OMGAWD this is terrible. I've had this stupid chapter written for two weeks now, and it's been revised, and edited probably a hundred times or more. I can't believe I've basically got it memorized by now, just through sheer revision. It's SO HARD expressing all the emotions both of them are feeling (or not feeling, in the case of Sasuke). Whyyy must he be so hard to write. And Sakura! Now that she's not all super bubbly and childish anymore...now that she's grown and feels truly wronged by the person she once loved...it's so...complex! HOW IS THIS EVER GOING TO WORK! Don't worry though; it gets super fun in the next chapter, which I've totally already planned out. It's also going to be kind of funny/lighter mood than this emotastic crap! IM SO SORRY if any of this was super confusing or...not really flowing like it should. It's basically like 10 different versions compiled into one. So I might have not followed the same thought process all the way through. I am NEVER writing a 13 page long conversation between them EVER again lol. And omg, why didn't Sasuke notice the ANBU get up from the get-go. Wow dude, make sure your new eyes are workin alright. No but srsly I just couldn't really squeeze it in at the beginning...I tried. Oodles of times. Uhh, yeah I don't know if what happened between Naruto/Sasuke/Madara even made some kind of sense...It could all just be entirely jumbled to people who aren't me, and who don't have the story completely planned out in their minds. Maybe I should look into this beta-reader stuff :P

Okay well phew /rant over. I hope you enjoyed!

Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers; you are so inspiring and totally got my lazy bum motivated!

xo

AdventRain


	4. Chapter 4: Control

**Chapter 4: Control**

_-Where should I start, disjointed heart; I've got no commitment to my own flesh and blood; left all alone, far from my home, no one to hear me to heal my ill heart.-_

_-And One, Linkin Park-_

Sasuke sat in a high backed chair at the head of the table in the council chamber. Around him, all nine of his advisors stared at the pinkette who stood directly to his right. She had pushed her ANBU mask away from her face, allowing it to rest against the side of her head. Her mouth was set in a hard line, and her posture was straight-backed and rigid, as if standing at attention.

"So...She's your choice?" A council member closest to them appraised Sakura, seeming perhaps a bit unsure.

"Aa." Sasuke mumbled, feeling a bit uneasy. They needed to truly convince his advisors here and now if they were _ever _going to pull off their little charade-and Sakura was being frustratingly unhelpful-playing more the picture of the hardened killer she had become than the sweet, caring matriarch his advisors desired.

Another council member down the table cleared his throat. "Well, I suppose our ANBU division has been a bit lacking...We could put your fiancé to good use." He tried his best to make the most of his leader's decision in order to demonstrate his continual support, though he had to admit she would be better suited to perform the duty of bodyguard.

Sakura visibly stiffened and bit down on her tongue. She hadn't signed up to further the village's expansion, and she definitely couldn't stomach the title they'd appropriated for her.

Sasuke nudged her discreetly, reminding her of her role. She forced herself to smile, though it certainly looked strained and void of feeling. The council members almost visibly sweat dropped. There wasn't a doubt in their minds that something was amiss.

Sakura struggled inwardly, wondering if any of this was truly worth her time, before an image of the Hokage appeared in her mind and she knew she had to do this for Naruto, even if she was annoyed that he'd lied to her. He'd worked so hard to redeem the man by her side, and she would make sure he came back; if only just the once, and if only for a brief while.

Suddenly, she laughed. It was a strange sound to Sasuke, but he knew it would be convincing enough.

"I'm sorry. This whole thing is just so weird." She smiled sweetly, "It's nice to meet you all." She made to greet each council member individually.

The atmosphere became lighter almost immediately, as Sakura worked her long out-of-use charm. The members warmed to her instantly as she answered their questions.

Sasuke noted how her smile never reached her eyes, and how her motions were deliberate- betraying her sincerity to those who bothered to observe them.

"How long have you known Otokage-sama?" One of his advisors questioned.

"Oh, we were close childhood friends." She replied without hesitation. The lie had the same effect as the sound of nails on a chalkboard to her mind, and it took the years of hard training she had undergone to be able to fight back a cringe.

"Really now," The advisor seemed awed at this fact, "Is your clan just as unique?" He looked hopeful.

Sakura gave a forced laugh. "Oh no, not at all. I was actually born to a civilian family." She faked modesty.

"How humble of you." Another advisor chuckled. Sakura grinned at him, realizing she'd learned a lot from her Root companion. Sai was the best example she could think of when it came to expressing emotions one truly could not feel.

"Your family must be quite pleased with your decision." The first noted.

Sakura's shoulders tensed as she recalled the message she'd left for her aging parents, explaining nothing more than she was on yet another mission and did not know when she'd return. Although she no longer lived with them, her mother often came by to ensure she'd been eating properly and had been taking care of herself, and knew both her parents would worry if anything was out of the ordinary. They had lost their daughter once before to her complicated kunoichi lifestyle as she had fallen into a severe depression soon after Team Seven had crumbled, with her only reprieve being exhausting and time-consuming hours of Tsunade's training. They were not fond of the idea that they could, at any moment, quite possibly lose her again.

Sasuke shifted and she snapped back to reality.

"They're thrilled." She nodded as if the action would make the statement seem more believable.

"What is most appealing to you about Otokage-sama?" The oldest advisor seemed to be unconvinced with Sakura's facade and had felt the need to test her.

Sakura froze, her smile vanishing.

Sasuke stood immediately. "That's enough." His voice was cold and stern, "She needs to rest." He commanded in one of his most intimidating tones that left no room for argument.

He pushed Sakura out of the room, rather harshly, as his advisors stood and gave hurried good-byes, looking as though some of their earlier doubt was beginning to return.

Sakura slipped a few senbon from her armguard, arming herself out of habit in case Sasuke had changed his mind about her usefulness.

He commanded her to follow him up a huge flight of stairs to the upper level of his abode. He was careful to look around for signs of any followers before shoving her into a well-lit room.

He closed the door behind them, placing a sound-proofing seal on the grain of the wood to ward off any eaves-droppers.

Sakura noticed immediately that Sasuke's new team sat around the room. She clenched the senbon tighter in her hand, feeling as though trapped in a lion's den.

"Yo, Sasuke!" The silver-haired shark-like man saluted. The orange haired stern looking man nodded in their direction, while the red headed woman who she believed she had heard Sasuke call 'Karin', jumped out of her chair with a wide-eyed expression.

"Y-you're keeping her?" She shrieked. Her voice became instantly annoying to Sakura's ears.

"Of course he is, isn't it _obvious_." The silver haired man laughed mockingly at Karin, who in turn, punched him rather fiercely in the stomach.

"There's no way!" She yelled, turning to latch onto Sasuke's arm and attempting to seductively press against him, "Ne, Sasuke-kun?" She had a glint in her eyes that reminded Sakura of when cartoon characters' eyes became hearts. She fought the urge to laugh.

Sasuke pulled away from the bespectacled woman, seemingly not listening to a word his team was saying.

"You're going to have to try harder than that." He warned, as he directed his attention towards Sakura.

Sakura shrugged indifferently. He glared at her.

"What's going on?" The orange haired man questioned. Sasuke gave an exasperated sigh before explaining the deal he had struck with the pinkette.

"I knew it!" Karin slammed a fist into her palm as she glared at Sakura, "Sasuke-kun would never really choose someone like her-I mean look at her, all beat up and with that hideous hair colour..." She sniffed as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Shut it Karin, you're really not one to talk about appearances, you ugly cow!" The shark-like man berated her, clutching his bruising stomach, while he winked at Sakura.

Sakura almost shuddered.

Karin put the man into a headlock, "What did you say!" She seethed, looking about ready to quite literally rip his head off.

The solid form of the man began to ripple, as Sakura realized he was beginning to melt. She was shocked that the red-head had such an impressive ability, before she realized Karin wasn't the one doing it. The shark man was turning himself into a liquid, water-like state to escape Karin's grasp. The red head shrieked in disgust and immediately let go of him, flicking water droplets off of her hands.

"Suigetsu, Karin. That's enough." Sasuke ordered, "You're damaging the room." He admonished, as the shark-man named Suigetsu began to take his normal form, revealing the water damage on the hardwood floor beneath him.

Karin still looked livid as she turned her attention away from Suigetsu as commanded and returned to setting a death glare on Sakura.

Suigetsu, however, turned his toothy grin to Sakura, "Glad you decided to stay a while." Sakura couldn't be sure, but she had the sneaking suspicion that he was attempting to flirt with her. She decided to ignore him completely.

He gave an annoying whistle, "Doesn't say much, does she?"

"Jugo, go find Hachirou-san." Sasuke ordered the orange haired man, interrupting Suigetsu's attempts at conversation. Jugo nodded and left quietly.

In the moments of Jugo's absence, the atmosphere of the room became increasingly tense. Karin's glare was nearly boring holes into Sakura, who mentally pictured herself incapacitating the red-head with a flick of her senbon. Her grip tightened around them at the thought. Sasuke leant against the wall nearest the door, stuffing his hands into his pockets and closing his eyes in exhaustion. Suigetsu noticed how uncomfortable it had become.

"So, uh, I think some of the council members were hitting on those women from earlier." He tried to break the silence.

No one bothered to appear as if they'd heard him speak. He crossed his arms, frustrated that he'd been ignored yet again.

Minutes passed in strained silence.

Suigetsu was about to break something in frustration or skip town entirely to avoid the awkwardness that seemed to permeate the air, as Jugo returned, followed by a rather meek looking old man.

The man had short black hair and dull grey eyes, and appeared a bit too thin, almost malnourished. Lines of age creased his forehead and the areas around his eyes.

"Otokage-sama." The man bowed in respect of Sasuke. Sasuke gave a small nod in return.

"I need you to take her measurements and fashion her some more respectable clothing." Sasuke said to the man as he motioned towards Sakura. She forced herself not to look like a deer caught in the headlights as she realized the old man, Hachirou, must have been the village's tailor. He wore fine clothing, and had several measuring tapes hanging around his neck and held a pin-cushion in his left hand.

Hachirou's eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Wonderful!" He clapped his hands together, "We just received a new shipment of silk from Kumogakure." He moved quickly toward Sakura, who backed up against the wall defensively.

"Oh come now dear, this won't hurt a bit." The old man smiled reassuringly up at her, the creasing lines around his mouth gave him very much the feel of an old, wise, grandfather.

He motioned for her to step forward, and she found herself slipping her senbon back into her armguard before stepping back towards him, feeling more trusting of the old man than anyone else in the room at that moment.

"I'm going to need you to remove the holster, the pack, the sword, and the armguards." He told her, as he took a measuring tape from around his neck. Sakura didn't move. Grandfatherly or not, Sakura wasn't about to toss aside her only protection from the company she now kept.

The tailor frowned and looked back to Sasuke, as if asking why his newest model wasn't being more cooperative.

"You'll need more than your uniform if you're going to stay here." Sasuke stated, matter-of-factly, careful to keep any irritation from his voice in front of Hachirou.

She caught that he hadn't specified her stay would only be two weeks, and that he was probably about to commission an entire wardrobe for the sake of keeping up appearances.

She scowled at the raven-haired man, hoping to convey that she deserved some privacy.

He sighed once more (it was becoming quite the habit), seemingly understanding.

He turned to Jugo, "I can handle this from here." Jugo nodded.

"Suigetsu, Karin, let's go." Jugo told his team mates as he made his way towards the door. Suigetsu made to follow him, but Karin did not, as she continued to glare at Sakura.

"You can't possibly think I'd leave her here alone with you!" She almost hissed at Sasuke. A flash of red appeared in his new eyes in warning. Sakura tensed visibly.

The tailor raised an eyebrow as he looked confusedly at the red-head, not understanding why the Kage's team mate would be so overprotective-especially seeing as she seemed so hateful of the Kage's future bride.

"You will show some respect." Sasuke growled at her. His threatening appearance seemed to deter her enough that she left-although rather grudgingly, and not before narrowing her eyes in jealousy and suspicion at Sakura one final time.

Sasuke closed the door behind his team and made to stand by the window at the far end of the room, attempting to appear interested in something in the distance.

The tailor turned back to Sakura, shrugging off the awkward scene, and held his hand out expectantly.

She slowly handed over her katana, still impossibly denying a very primal urge to keep herself armed.

The tailor took it and gently placed it on a nearby table. He proceeded to take the rest of her equipment in the same manner, Sakura feeling only a slight bit more reassured that he had put all of it within arms reach.

As he made to take her measurements, starting with her full height, the length and width of her arms, and the length and circumference of her legs, he paused as he attempted to take her waist and chest size. He clucked his tongue.

"I'm sorry dear, but you have to remove the vest too. The thickness of the armour won't allow me to get a proper measurement." He said, as he pulled out a scroll and etched the numbers he had already acquired upon it.

Sasuke diverted his attention back to her, watching her reaction from the corner of his eye-ready to intervene should she compromise their situation.

She seemed about ready to grab her things and leave the village at the tailor's honest request, but in the next moment, her eyes had flickered in his direction and she saw him observing her. Her look grew determined, as she straightened her uneasy stance.

She began to unzip the back of the vest, and he redirected his gaze back to the view of the courtyard outside.

Sakura shivered as soon as she had the heavy material off of her body. She felt so exposed, though she still sported her black pants and tank top, and desperately fought the urge to reach out and grab any weapon she could get her hands on. Though more than capable of immense damage with her fists and chakra, years of combat and training with weapons had left her both craving and needing the familiarity of cold metal to assuage her growing paranoia.

The tailor returned to taking the rest of the measurements.

"Arms out please." He asked her in a kind, respectful tone, as he slipped a pair of glasses onto his nose to read the tape better. The tailor frowned as he noticed the scars littering her pale skin. "The medics here can help you take care of those." He said, with more concern in his voice than Sakura had been expecting. He took the tape back as he went to add the rest of the numbers to the parchment.

"Thank you, but I'd rather keep them." She mumbled, feeling compelled to treat the old man kindly in return.

"Suit yourself dear." He shrugged, "I really don't know what to do about the colour of your hair, though." He muttered as he took down notes of her attributes. Before Sakura could ask what he meant, he continued, "The fabrics I have to work with come in many colours, but quite a few of them will contrast negatively with that bright pink." He explained, mentally calculating his inventory, and noting that perhaps only a third of his materials would go well with the young kunoichi. "But I'm sure I can make it work." He finished, assuring both Sakura and the Otokage. Sasuke nodded to him as the tailor bowed and took his leave.

As soon as the door had closed, Sakura made to grab her sword and weapons holster. Sasuke took a few steps towards her before she could finish collecting all of her things.

He grabbed the vest and the armguards as she made to pick up her medical pack.

"I'll have these cleaned. You can change into whatever's in that closet until Hachirou-san has finished with his work." He explained before she could protest.

"Leave your clothes on the table when you're done. I'll have someone come for them." He muttered, before slipping out of the room.

Sakura waited a few minutes before she dared to move. She set down her weapons and her pack when she felt sure no one would be returning to the room.

She turned towards the closet Sasuke had indicated and opened the heavy doors. She rummaged through the piles of linens until she pulled out a while shirt and traditional black pants. They were meant to be worn by someone twice her size, but she was able to pull the drawstring tightly on the pants and had rolled up the sleeves of the shirt. She left her old outfit on the table as Sasuke had instructed, not particularly worried about whether she would have the clothes returned to her as she had multiples back home. She took off her mask and tucked it back into her medical pack before pulling a hair tie from one of its pockets. She secured the pack around her waist once more, before using the tie to fasten her long hair into a high pony tail. She then picked up her katana, and strapped it onto her back, before attempting to buckle her holster back onto her thigh. The strap of the holster would not clasp around the extra fabric of the baggy pants however, and she sighed in frustration as she resigned to simply holding it.

She turned to look around the room, searching for any approaching chakra signatures in the back of her mind, before approaching a desk that had been tucked away in a corner by the window.

She opened several of its drawers, rummaging through the contents of each one in search of a scroll, a vial of ink, and a calligraphy brush.

Sai had been most helpful over the years, aiding her in developing her skills nearly as much as Tsunade had. He had played an important part in her becoming an ANBU and had imparted her with a few helpful skills. As she found what she was looking for, she checked once more for anyone's approach.

The coast was clear.

She set to work, painting out a black crow on the rough surface of the parchment while infusing it with her chakra, completing the technique the way Sai had instructed her, and summoning the black ink messenger bird. She gave it a quick message that would be delivered to Naruto, explaining to the Kage (rather ambiguously) that he wouldn't be able to reach her for any mission assignments as she had important business to attend to for the next little while. As he was the one who assigned the missions, she would not be able to give him the same excuse for her absence as she had given her parents, and she mentally prayed, however great the unlikelihood, that they would not cross each other's paths in the next two weeks. She felt reassured, though, knowing that she had often conveyed messages to him using the same ink bird during the past few years as he had become swamped with Hokage duties and she had avoided any face-to-face interaction with him as much as possible. She knew he would not sense that anything was out of place.

Sakura felt Sasuke's chakra signature returning, and quickly sent the ink creature away, shoving the remaining scroll and ink back into the drawer they had come from.

A second later, Sasuke re-entered the room. What seemed to be an assistant of sorts scurried along behind him, quickly turned towards the table, picked up her old clothes, and proceeded to bow to the Otokage before darting back out as swiftly as he had come.

"You'll have everything returned soon enough. You just won't be able to wear your uniform while you're here." Sasuke spoke as though he expected her to already have drawn that conclusion.

She had.

"Just know I have no intentions of becoming your village's ANBU instructor." She said, requiring some sort of trade-off for being forced to wear strange clothing.

"My advisors were getting ahead of themselves. I've no desire for you to work here." He brushed the idea aside.

"I wouldn't anyways-even if it might compromise our deal." She huffed defiantly. He smirked as he noted how peculiar it was for her to show pride in her rank. The young Sakura he had known all those years ago had never had any pride in her kunoichi status, let alone any ambition. She'd looked so awkward even holding a kunai, and yet here she stood, comfortable with the weight of her weapons, and ever eager for a fight.

Sakura's jaw clenched as she realized his musing smirk was something akin to laughter for most people.

"What?" She bit out, suddenly self-conscious as she realized he was 'laughing' _at_ her.

"Come." He said, ignoring her and motioning for her to follow. She was hesitant, out of frustration at his behaviour, but resigned to follow him nonetheless. She hadn't yet learned her way about the Kage's complex, and was not keen on the idea that she could lose her way, or run into any one of the advisors, unless she trailed after the Uchiha.

"Where are we headed?" She mumbled after him, as they left the room and turned right down the hall.

"My room." He answered.

She stopped in her tracks.

"_What?" _She repeated, this time seeming both disbelieving and disturbed by his answer. She fingered the holster she held in her left hand; right hand twitching slightly as if itching to grab a few shuriken in case he pulled anything.

Sasuke turned around to face her.

"It's where you're staying." He said his face expressionless.

"Where will you be staying then?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, almost certain of what he would say next.

"My room." He replied, irritation surfacing in his voice despite his flat gaze.

"You can't be serious." She scanned his features as if trying to descry anything that may hint that he was joking. It seemed however, that Sasuke hadn't changed very much. The Uchiha never joked.

He cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm not staying in your room." She protested, rather loudly. It had been a while since anyone had the gall to defy him.

"Yes, you are." He scowled, "We're going to make this believable, or the deals off." He had closed the small distance between them in order for her to be able to hear him as he lowered his voice. Although the hall was void of anyone besides themselves, he could not risk being overheard.

"In case you've forgotten, _I'm _the one doing you the favour here." She scowled right back.

"Actually, you're mostly just a matter of convenience." He retorted, "I can always find someone less annoying, but then _you'd _never get the chance for your long-awaited Leaf reunion."

"Or the chance to wipe that smirk off your face once and for all..." She countered dangerously, aggravated by the realisation that their agreement really had been simply out of convenience for the both of them. Neither could truly use their deal as a bargaining chip, though Sasuke was somehow managing to gain the upper hand.

"Hn." He uttered his usual non-committal, dismissing their argument altogether, and seeming to contemplate her statement for only a mere half-second. He turned back to continue down the hall, stopping at the last room on the right.

Sakura followed slowly, dragging her feet. He could feel her glare boring into the back of his skull as he pushed open the double doors to his chambers.

Sakura had been so focussed upon her own predicament that she hadn't noticed the chakra signatures that emanated from his room until she stood in the doorway.

Team Hawk was sitting about the suite, all eyes directed towards her.

She rolled her own and placed her free hand on her hip muttering, "Great."

Sasuke closed the doors behind them as Sakura surveyed the room, doing her best to ignore Karin's icy stare.

The entire left wall was comprised of windows that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. One of these, she noted, was a patio door, that led out to a simple balcony, overhanging the garden she'd been in earlier that evening. A very light shear-type fabric draped across the windows for some semblance of privacy, though she noted darker drapes could also be pulled across to further obscure the sun's rays.

Directly in front of her was a king size rod-iron canopy bed that had been decorated with dark fabrics, along with black drapes that had been tied back with red and white rope. There was a walk-in closet on the far end of the right wall, and another door closer to her that she assumed led to a bathroom. There were two nightstands, a dresser, two armchairs, a couch, and a desk, and yet there was still an incredible amount of floor space. She realized his room represented the same space as the entire floor plan of her small home back in Konoha.

What caught her eye after a quick once-over however was not the size of the room, but the elaborate painting that hung directly above the headboard of the massive bed.

It was a representation of the Uchiha district that no longer existed since Pein's attack on Konoha. The focal point of the painting was a wall with an Uchiha crest upon it that had been split directly down its centre.

"He painted that himself." Jugo offered, breaking the silence as he answered Sakura's visible curiosity. He sat on one of the armchairs near the windows, as Sasuke, frowning suddenly, took the other.

Sakura feigned indifference. Truly she was impressed at its likeness and the fact that Sasuke could create a piece of art, but what should she care? Though tragically beautiful, the scene of the no-longer-existent clan served only to rouse reminders of how all of it had started...Of how the massacre that had occurred there had an impact greater than anyone could have guessed.

"Tch. She doesn't even have manners..." She heard Karin mutter from where the red-head had perched herself on a bench at the foot of the bed.

"Like you know anything about manners..." Suigetsu quipped, before earning a punch on the arm. He sat on the edge of the bed, facing the windows, and with his attention shifting between Sasuke and Sakura.

Sakura tore her gaze from the painting's haunting allure, before turning to sit on the couch to her left that had been propped up against the same wall as the door. As she sat down, she wondered vaguely why the sharp-toothed shinobi chose to sit so close to the red-head when he knew she would lash out violently at any mocking remark he made.

She removed her medical pack and placed it, alongside her holster, upon the coffee table before the couch. Although she removed the katana from her back, she made sure to place it on the cushion beside her.

Crossing her arms and legs, she leaned back into the couch, watching the team.

Karin's attention was focussed on Suigetsu as they squabbled, while Jugo seemed to be checking if there were any outstanding duties the Otokage had required they take care of. Sasuke simply shook his head, and relaxed back into the armchair, as if sighing from exhaustion, and letting his frown recede.

Sakura felt detached from the sight, as though she were nothing but an invisible observer, intruding upon some sort of dysfunctional familial gathering. Her fingernails bit into the skin on her arms as she realized this was something she hadn't been able to truly experience for herself for more than a decade.

It seemed unusually unfair that Sasuke's replacement team had become far more important to him than Team Seven probably ever had.

Sakura forced her thoughts away as the four before her began conversing openly with one another, before she was forced to do something she might regret.

"Man, I can't believe how many women _flocked _here for you!" Suigetsu was saying, his tone incredulous, to Sasuke. He took a swig of water from a bottle he had kept secured to his waist.

"It was pretty impressive." Jugo agreed.

"Can't believe I wasted my time looking when they were coming _here_..." Karin was muttering to herself.

Sasuke made no effort to take part in the conversation and looked rather irritated, though he gave them his attention by appearing to be listening while leaning his head back against the chair.

"It worked out though." Suigetsu looked in Sakura's direction momentarily before returning his gaze to his team mates.

Sakura realized just how true Sasuke's words had been when he had said he could find someone else just as easily. It hadn't quite dawned on her why all those women had been in Otogakure earlier that day, her mind having been quite preoccupied over the last few hours.

"You actually sent word out that you needed a matriarch?" Sakura asked suddenly, obviously finding the idea amusing and repulsive at the same time by the expression on her face.

Sasuke's head snapped up as he turned to face the pinkette as though he had forgotten she was there for a moment.

"It was my advisors." He answered curtly, before returning to his previous position.

"But that means you sent your team out for the same reason then?"

"Aa." He muttered without looking at her.

"Wow. That's pretty sad." She laughed sardonically, "Slim pickings here or something?" She stared pointedly at Karin.

"You bitch!" The red-head jumped up, and looked as though she was ready for an attack.

Sakura didn't stand, but grasped the hilt of her katana in warning.

"Knock it off, Karin!" Suigetsu grabbed onto Karin's shoulder.

"We should go." Jugo said as he flash-stepped to Karin's other side. He and Suigetsu managed to drag her from the room as she continued uttering strings of curses.

As the doors clicked shut behind them, Sakura diverted her attention back to Sasuke.

He hadn't so much as flinched during the altercation as he rested against the back of the chair, eyes closed. She wondered momentarily if he'd fallen asleep.

"You're really not one to comment on what's sad, Sakura." He said after a moment, proving that he was still alert.

Sakura clenched her fists, the knuckles of her right hand turning white as it gripped the hilt of the katana.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" She grit out.

He opened his eyes and looked over to her.

"Look at how you're gripping that thing..." He muttered, "And the way you concealed those senbon earlier..."

"That makes me cautious, not sad." She retorted, a little unnerved that he hadn't missed a thing.

"What's sad is how you cling to those objects as though they'd save your life of their own accord." He said, and in the next moment, he was in front of her, her own katana in his hand.

Sakura flew into action at his sudden movements, grabbing the sheath of her sword to knock the blade from his possession. It flew into the air before she caught it skilfully, and pointed it at his neck.

His form dissolved into a cloud of smoke, and he reappeared directly behind her. She made to spin around and face him, but his speed slightly outmatched her own and he managed to forcefully fasten her arms to her sides.

"The only thing that can save you, is you." He spoke, his deadpan voice making her skin crawl. "If I'd wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have bothered with our deal."

Sakura forced chakra to where he held onto her, pulsing it outwards in order to force him to release her. The bastard was _toying_ with her.

She swallowed hard as she tried to repress the ghost of a feeling of his hands around her throat, crushing the air from her lungs...

He'd been the only one to have ever come that close since.

"But you _have_ wanted to kill me." She retorted, glaring furiously at him. The emotions she'd learned were nothing but hindrances during the time she'd become an ANBU were continuously getting the best of her every moment she was in his presence. It caused her to be reckless as her reactions became slower, her mind became chaotic, and her anger got the best of her. She had eliminated countless worthless criminal after worthless criminal, and yet this man before her could still unnerve her to her very core.

"That was a long time ago." He countered, the abysmal emptiness behind his onyx orbs demonstrated how unperturbed he was.

She contemplated taking him out right then and there.

"Not for me." She retorted scathingly. She was subconsciously running chakra towards her hands.

"I can't harm you now, because of Naruto." He stated bluntly, "I owe him." It had taken him years to acknowledge this fact.

She realized the truth in his words.

After a moment, her chakra returned to its normal state within her network. Her mind cooled at the mention of Naruto's name and her shoulders relaxed as she lowered her blade. She was still angry that he could even get so close to her and affect her so, of course, but her ANBU demeanour soon washed back over her.

"I don't expect you to walk around here without any weapons at all," He began, "But you can't carry around your katana and the rest of your equipment. It will send the advisors the wrong message. They'll think you feel threatened here, when you should be feeling welcome."

"Then they'd think right." She said her voice even.

"Tch." He scoffed, "Still not getting it, huh?"

"I'm not a moron, of course I get it." She snapped impatiently, before deciding to sheath her sword and laying it down on the table, "I'll keep the weapons out of plain sight, but I'm _not _going to sleep in that bed with you."

"I wasn't going to tell you to." He pointed towards a pile of pillows and blankets that had been placed on the other end of the couch.

"You're taking the couch?" She asked, mildly surprised.

"No, you are." He smirked.

"Of course." She bit out, as he moved away from her and towards his bed.

She split her attention between setting up her sleeping arrangement, and watching Sasuke climb into his bed. Once the blankets and pillows had been spread out on the couch, Sakura sat down, trying her best to relax her muscles. Sasuke made to extinguish the light coming from his bedside table, signalling it was time to sleep.

Sakura was positive that would be impossible for her.

Xx

Hours later, the pinkette had finally fallen into a light, fitful sleep, having decided to keep her katana beside her for easy access. It had been a fast paced journey from Konoha to Otogakure, and she was not surprised that her body had finally won over her anxious mind.

It seemed all too soon when light began to stream through the windows.

Sakura would have slept in, had it not been for Sasuke calling her name.

She sat up slowly, wondering if the sound had merely been a figment of that moment of in between sleep and wakefulness.

"Sakura." Sasuke called more firmly, and with something that resembled urgency.

She jumped up at this, sword in her hand, struggling to focus on his figure that still remained on his bed.

"What..." She grumbled, rubbing her eyes before placing her sword back onto the coffee table as she noticed no immediate threat.

"Council members are approaching." He answered hurriedly, and she took a moment to locate their faint chakra signatures. It was true; two of them were already at the top of the staircase.

Through her grogginess, it dawned on her why there was such urgency in Sasuke's voice. His 'fiancé' would not be sleeping on the couch under normal circumstances. She was supposed to be providing him with an heir, and that could not be done efficiently if she was not in bed with him. If they discovered she'd been camping out on the couch, they'd be reassured of their false intentions, and she would lose at the game she had decided to play.

"Get over here." He commanded, motioning the space beside him on his bed.

"No way in hell." She refused, sensing the advisors were half-way down the hall. She would rather lose than suffer his proximity.

"_Now." _He ordered her, in that leader-like tone of voice she was beginning to despise.

It took seeing the handle on one of the doors to Sasuke's room being turned before Sakura made a split-second decision, grabbed her pillow and blankets, and flash stepped to Sasuke's bed.

She jumped in, agilely throwing the covers over herself, just as the door swung open.

"Ah, good morning!" One of the advisors proclaimed.

"I didn't hear you knock." Sasuke scowled. Sakura tensed as she realized Sasuke had thrown his arm around her shoulders, and had pulled her towards him rather possessively.

She noted in that moment how much it would have pleased her to break every bone in his hand as it gripped her right shoulder. It took a deliberate effort for her to suppress the chakra that threatened to once again fill her hands.

She forced a yawn, and a satisfied smile, as she leaned into him, drowning herself in the part, while mentally envisioning crippling the council members at the door. She'd already begun their little ruse, and would be damned if something as pathetic as refusing to be physically close to the man she couldn't stand would get in her way. It was just like another mission, after all, and she would treat it as such-unacceptable to fail.

"Sorry Otokage-sama, we were in a hurry to let you know Sakura-san's first shipment of new clothes have arrived. Hachirou-san and his associates worked diligently throughout the night." The second advisor apologized, though Sakura knew full well that they had only the intention of checking up on them.

"That could have waited." Sasuke continued berating his advisors, a look of complete aggravation at having been disturbed upon his features. His expression, however, was the only thing that betrayed his annoyance. Sakura noted how comfortable and relaxed his gestures appeared as he leaned back against his pillows while holding onto her as if she had been his lover. It dawned on her that she had only assumed he had never known what forming a relationship was like; having been so hell-bent on breaking any and all types that he had formed previously. Perhaps, she considered, he'd had several female companions in the time she hadn't known him. Perhaps that was why this seemed so habitual to him.

She couldn't explain why this possibility seemed to fill her stomach with twisting, stabbing, knots. She panicked a moment before she reasoned it was simply the scenario she had found herself in that was causing her stomach to behave in such a way. The closeness was just making her feel violently ill.

That was all.

"Of course; we'll leave you two alone." The first council member seemed to misconstrue Sasuke's meaning as he winked knowingly before both advisors bowed, turned and left.

Sasuke scowled as the door swung shut behind them, pulling instantly away from Sakura.

He got out of bed and headed directly towards the washroom.

Sakura crawled out of his bed as quickly as she had jumped into it, shuddering at the contact they'd just shared, and the understanding of what the council members had insinuated.

She grabbed the pillow and blankets that she had used during the night, and put them back neatly on the end of the couch.

She waited for Sasuke to reappear, crossing her arms out of impatience.

She was going to have a word with the Otokage about the abhorrent behaviour of his subordinates.

She glared at the door to the bathroom as though she could simply will the man behind it to spontaneously combust. She clucked her tongue as she heard the shower running, acknowledging there would be no such luck.

She pushed the last few moments to the back of her mind, forcing herself to pretend as though they had never occurred.

The Uchiha had effectively been able to manipulate her-no easy feat by any means.

She realized then that she could use the play they were performing to her advantage; perhaps eventually being able to effectively manipulate him in return.

A smug smirk appeared on her lips.

XxTBCxX

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the positive feedback on that last stressful chappie! I'm glad you all (mostly) enjoyed! This chapter was far more fun to write! I hope reading it was just as fun :P The next chappie will be more eventful now that she's settled in. More of Sasuke's perspective will be incorporated...It'll be more entertaining to get an idea of what's going through that mind of his. It seems I've got quite a few reviews to answer to! Haha, I would have just pm'd all this, but it's valuable for all of my readers to see too P: So here are the answers to those who asked questions:

**illicitazure**: Thanks! I'm going to have to come up with excuses; primarily because it was a last minute decision to make Sakura an ANBU (she was normally just an average jounin in previous drafts but I wanted her to kick more butt than usual...and take out her anger on something 'constructive') and mostly because I'm a lazy writer lol I tend to have bad plot holes... Excuse #1: They were suppressing their chakra signatures...or something lol. And she was too preoccupied at the time...and let's just say I don't want her to be flawless just because she's ANBU now...She's still Sakura at the core, and still makes mistakes/overlooks things. Excuse #2: The village of Otogakure hasn't been widely accepted across the nations as being a credible village; Sasuke's been working to improve relations to try and give his village some credit; he was largely just known as the self-proclaimed 'Otokage', and very few outside of his village knew his name was Uchiha (being, Gaara, Naruto, and certain other Kages). Naruto told Sakura that Sasuke had died-implying the truth had been hidden from her _and _the village (maybe I should make that more clear at some point); 'Uchiha' is basically a taboo word in Konoha, even with Naruto's efforts. However, Sasuke's name is _now_ known most of everywhere, thanks to the advisors advertising he was looking for a woman. This is something that will be important in later chapters, so keep reading! :P

**lovedreamergrl**: Haha, yes I finally did! And updating will be maybe twice a month now, if I can swing it with my school work! I hope you liked this chapter! Their relationship is going to be hell to try and formulate, but I'll try my best!

**Aya akkaime**: Thank you! That's what I was trying for haha; I was going to try and fit in a bit of Karin's POV to sort of explain how she ended up back with Team Hawk. It's difficult because when I started the story, Sasuke hadn't stabbed her yet in the manga; and it sort of slipped my mind when I wrote chapter 3, until after I had posted it. I was like, oh, right, she should hate him too by all rights lol. She should also be in Konoha...because that's where Kakashi had taken her. Suigetsu and Jugo were also left behind if I'm not mistaken...But, I will probably end up explaining how things came to be next chapter! So look out for that xD

**colorfullotus5: **I would love to tell you if she gives him an heir, but that would spoil it haha, so keep reading! I'll try to update at least twice a month! Gaara will arrive at Otogakure within four weeks (a month). Can't say if Sakura's going to be there! Haha.

**Samanthastar47: **That idea sounds awesome! Hopefully you post that so I can give it a read! I'd love to collaborate ideas! And yeah! They totally are; most difficult characters I've ever had to try and express lol (in non-AU fics anyways!) Sticking to the real deal is much harder than I thought xD

And, I would just like to sincerely thank the rest of my reviews (who didn't have any specific questions) but gave reassuring words of encouragement that continue to keep me motivated!

**Mizuki-chan Uchiha**

**mUmaRhz**

**Thegirlwhowatchstars**

**Izumii842 **: Phew! That's great news; thank you!

**Otakugal**

**Anundecidedteen**

**Macey Hart**

**izzybell117**

**thinkthoughts**

**MyUsedRomance**

**rainbow spell : **Greatest review ever! lol

**sasusaku-EienAi** : I love having hate-love relationships haha-Karin reacted; did you like :P

**one-Kai** : I'm so happy!

**jonayells** : That makes me ecstatic :P

**Emumoon**

Thank you all!

xo

AdventRain

P.S. I've already got 10 pages of Chapter 5 done! Should be posted soon xD


	5. Chapter 5: Crash

**Chapter 5: Crash**

_-When it comes to how to live his life he can't be told, says he's got it all under control, thinks he knows it's not a problem he's stuck with, but in reality it'd be a problem to just quit.-_

_-Carousel, Linkin Park-_

The cold water washed over his skin as he placed a hand against the wall of the shower stall. He welcomed the frigid current as it helped to ease his mind. For years he'd believed he had finally figured out his life and had believed the choices he'd been making were finally taking a turn for the better. He wasn't exactly hopeful, but he had come to accept whatever the future may hold, and welcomed the reprieve the concentration he needed to focus on his new goals allowed, as it warded away unwanted memories.

Now however, with the reappearance of one of his former team mates in his life, he had been forced to reconsider, and remember, a past he had most certainly preferred remained ignored.

In a way, he did not regret getting her involved in his affairs. Her presence gave him more time; time that he desperately needed. He was not sure he even wanted an heir, and would prefer a few more years to come to a decision on the matter.

Whenever he had given it consideration, he felt like he would never curse the damnable legacy of the Uchiha on any possible children he might someday have. Still, he felt conflicted when he considered that in deciding not to restore his clan, he would be the one to cause the true extinction of the Uchiha. It made him question whether he wanted the Uchiha name to simply be remembered, or to be carried down through the generations, perhaps giving the clan a second chance.

Whatever his decision, he was not yet ready to decide upon the matter. In getting Sakura to play the part of his matriarch, he was allowing himself the chance to postpone his choice. Once their two weeks were up, he would be able to continue to put off his decision under the pretence that he had believed she had been the only possible candidate, and was not yet ready to try and find another.

She was also uncomfortable in his presence-seeming about ready to decapitate him if he got too close. Because of this, he would not have to deal with any kind of physical relationship, the likes of which he was far too uneducated in to perform efficiently.

He could have, of course, dealt without her attitude and evident loathing, but he supposed it was a small price to pay for the benefits their charade would eventually grant him.

Even having to deal with the dobe at the end of it all wouldn't be so bad.

If he was being entirely honest with himself, he was slightly interested in what might happen when the three of them reunited, and Sakura was given the chance to act upon her anger.

It was going to be quite the show.

Xx

Sakura found her way to the council chamber, having sensed that the chakra signatures of the two advisors who had forced her into her uncomfortable situation that morning were situated inside.

They sat at the large table, filing paper work.

"Sakura-san!" One of them looked to her as she entered.

"Did we ruin the mood?" The other looked honestly concerned.

"No. We're taking a break." She answered, smirk still on her face.

"W-what?" The first stammered.

"It would do you both well to steer clear of our room-there's no telling _what_ you might walk in on." She laughed inwardly at the blush creeping up their necks. "We're trying diligentlyto restore his clan." She explained, "You barged in just as we were about to continue...We had barely stopped at all through the night; you could have interrupted the conception of his heir." Her tone was both accusatory and provocative as she appeared to revel in the memory of what had never happened.

"A-all night?" The second gulped, a look of awe and embarrassment upon his features.

"Yes. So please, restrain yourselves from interrupting unless it's an emergency." She commanded, as though pretending to sleep with the Otokage gave her all the right in the world.

They nodded bashfully. She turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" The first asked.

"To get my new clothes, even if I'll hardly need them." She gave a little wave as she heard their audible gulps before departing.

She was, admittedly, quite enjoying playing the part of a temptress.

Two could play at this game of deception. It was all about who was in control.

And Sakura intended to be.

Xx

As Sasuke re-entered his room, fully dressed, he had to suppress the urge to produce a katon to cleanse his room of whatever had it smelling so..._floral. _

Several boxes of scented candles had been placed on his beside table, while multiple bouquets of roses decorated the area in porcelain vases.

His door clicked open a moment later, revealing one of his assistants carrying a bottle of sake.

"Who asked you to bring this in here?" He demanded, as he crossed the room and took the bottle from the now scared looking man.

"One of y-your advisors." The man seemed to be fighting the urge to cower.

"Did you bring the rest of this," He gestured to the flowers and candles, "As well?"

"Y-yes."

The interference of his council members had just crossed a line.

"You can go." He waved the assistant off as he seriously considered removing the entire tradition of having a council.

The assistant bowed hurriedly and left.

With bottle in hand, Sasuke left his room in search of the nearest advisor he could find.

One of them, called Tatsuya, just so happened to be the first unfortunate soul to cross the now more-than-annoyed Otokage's path.

"What's the meaning of this?" He glared at Tatsuya, shoving the bottle in the man's face.

"Ah...W-well, Osamu and Toru felt we should make up for their carelessness this morning..." He attempted to explain. Sasuke felt there was something more to this.

"Where is she?" He demanded.

"I-I think I saw her downstairs..." Tatsuya replied meekly, not needing to ask who he meant.

Sasuke nodded and shoved the bottle off in Tatsuya's hands before turning down the stairs.

Sakura must have been suppressing her chakra signature, or perhaps he had simply been too annoyed to have bothered to take in his surroundings, because he hadn't noticed that she had begun to climb the very stairs he was now descending.

They met half-way.

"Hi." She said brightly, an annoying smirk playing on her lips.

He frowned, "What are you doing?"

"Taking this," She lifted the box in her arms slightly, "To the room."

He nodded and followed her as she continued up the stairs, not wanting to pursue their conversation near prying ears.

As they returned to his room, she snickered quietly at the sight of the advisor's gifts before heading to the coffee table and placing the box on top of it. She opened it just as Sasuke came up behind her.

"What did you say to them?" He demanded as soon as the door had swung closed.

"Nothing really." She sounded bored with him as she appeared interested in the pieces of clothing she pulled out of the box.

She held up each item in front of her to inspect them. The old man had really outdone himself. He had fashioned two sets of everyday wear, comprised of two white t-shirts emblazoned with the sound emblem and two pairs of slim-fitting black pants. Two kimonos for special occasions were underneath these, one a navy blue embroidered with light pink cherry blossom petals and one a deep violet edged with white and patterned with an intricate white floral design. He had added two sets of what appeared to be training outfits, styled similarly to her ANBU uniform, with a strong black vest, two chocolate brown tank tops, and black cargo-style pants. As she pushed aside the cargos, her fingers brushed a soft satiny material, before she pulled out two sets of silky lingerie-style slips. While amazed at how beautiful they were, one a deep red, the other a soft ivory, she shoved them quickly back into the box, deciding to keep the loose clothing she now wore for sleep wear instead.

"I don't believe that." Sasuke spoke, his voice empty.

"I just lectured them on the costs of insubordination." She shrugged, holding up the navy kimono to her body while further inspecting the cherry blossoms. It was uncanny how the pink matched her hair colour almost perfectly.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow; sure there was more to it than she was letting on. With her focus on examining her personally tailored clothes, she didn't bother to see his reaction.

"Quit breathing down my neck before I cut off your-"

"That's not very ladylike." Sasuke smirked, interrupting her, before deftly stepping away to avoid a chakra-fuelled punch aimed at his shoulder, and turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" She asked, allowing her chakra to slip back into her network.

He didn't answer, ignoring her completely, opening the door once more, and walking from the room.

Sakura abandoned her inspection for the moment, tossing the kimono back onto the messy pile she'd made, before making to follow him.

He paused a few feet from the room.

"Aren't you going to bathe?" He asked stoically.

Sakura forced an embarrassed blush away.

"Oh. Right." She covered lamely, before retreating back to the room and running a shower.

It dawned on her that he might have been attempting to give her some privacy; ensuring there would be a wide enough area of personal space for her to feel comfortable. Perhaps he was trying to obliterate the awkwardness of earlier that morning as much as she had been forcing herself to forget about it.

Whatever the reason, she deeply appreciated the silence and finally being alone as the hot water washed over her skin.

Xx

Sasuke had just finished his daily briefing and was heading towards his office on the first floor, down the hall across from the main staircase. He knew mountains of paperwork were sure to be piling up after having neglected his regular duties the day before.

When he approached his desk however, he found very little had actually accumulated and noted that much of the work for the day had already been filed and cleared away.

There was a memo on the top of a small pile of paper on his desk.

_Otokage-sama_

_We took it upon ourselves to clear away as much work as possible. These remaining documents require only your signature. Please use your free time to your advantage. Perhaps you could show Sakura-san around the village? _

It was signed by his advisors.

He crumpled up the note angrily and tossed it aside.

They had left him with nothing to do for the day, and had stripped him of his only reprieve from his own thoughts. His mind-numbing paper work would have meant keeping his thoughts off of recent events.

He sighed as he sat behind his desk to begin signing the remaining forms, occasionally scanning their content and stamping the sound symbol upon them.

As the small stack dwindled down to the last few documents, he began to sign his name with deliberate slowness-not particularly fond of the idea of having spare time on his hands.

Just as he was completing the final 'a', his office door slammed open.

"What the hell is this?" Sakura nearly screeched as she gripped tufts of her hair in her fists. Sasuke glanced stoically up at her. He knew his advisors who all had offices along the same corridor would be listening intently thanks to her volume.

"You used my hair products." He noted, keeping his voice even. It was a good thing he had forgotten how to make the sound of a laugh for he would have only made the situation worse.

Her hair had turned an awful shade of purple, the result of having mixed in a blue tint.

"What the hell was in those bottles?"

"They're specifically made for me by the village's herbalist." He shrugged.

"Well, do something about it!" She stepped closer, slamming her hand down on his desk. Her other hand was wrapped around the edge of one of his navy towels.

"I had my assistant set out separate products for you." His usual indifferent expression was set in place.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sakura fumed.

He shrugged again. "Could you refrain from dripping water all over my office?"

A familiar blush, a faint remnant of the kind she would acquire when they were twelve, bloomed on her cheeks.

"W-whatever!" She stuttered, gripping the towel tighter to herself, "Just tell me how to fix this!"

"It's not permanent." The shampoo the herbalist had designed for him was not necessarily a permanent hair dye-its purpose was to simply define the blue hues his obsidian hair occasionally revealed. It had been one of the countless gifts the villagers had given him on his birthdays, and the herbalist had ensured to give him several bottles each year. He found no harm in using them, although he remained completely unconcerned about his appearance.

"It will wash out?" She reverted back to her indoor voice, hope filling her words.

"In a few days." He answered.

"A few days!" She shouted, "I have to look like _this _for a few days?" She pointed at her hair as she spoke. The colour reminded him vaguely of an ugly bruise.

"Not my problem." Sasuke returned his attention to the last form he had been signing, and went to stamp it with the village's seal.

"You're impossible!" She clenched her free hand into a fist.

Sasuke frowned as he put the stamp away, moved the file to sit atop the rest of those he had completed, and stood to face her.

She seemed confused a moment, as he narrowed his eyes at her, before shifting his gaze to stare angrily at a point past her shoulder.

It took her a fraction of a second to understand his meaning. She sensed the advisor's chakras all down the hall, and turned her head slightly to see some of their heads peeking out of their doors.

She quickly snapped her attention back to Sasuke. They were listening.

Her new favourite smirk began to tug at the corners of her mouth, before she leaned towards him from across the desk.

"You know, you can always make it up to me..." She purred seductively.

Sasuke swallowed back whatever it was that formed a lump in his throat. The fluffy towel she had wrapped around herself fell dangerously short, revealing a lot of leg, and a lot of cleavage. He had somehow missed that she had become a woman underneath her uniform and substitute clothing.

Her sly grin revealed that she was more than simply playing along with their charade. He wondered briefly if she actually believed she could sway him with her womanly charms-him, the last great Uchiha. He stifled a snort. She undoubtedly imagined she could gain the upper hand in their situation, perhaps turning the tables in her favour, giving herself control over him.

He certainly wasn't going to allow that.

Uchiha Sasuke was never in anyone's clutches for long, and he had become quite comfortable with his position as head of the village. _No one _controlled him.

"Hn." He smirked, agreeing to her statement just loud enough for those in the hall to hear.

A brief look of shock flitted across her features, with a hint of fear, or was it disbelief, flashing behind her emerald orbs as Sasuke grabbed her wrist and pulled her forcefully down the hall.

The doors to the offices snapped shut as they passed.

His smirk broadened.

Xx

As they returned to his room, Sakura seemed to lose all sense as she began to laugh. It was unlike the fake laughter she had given the advisors to assuage their doubts. She was laughing wholeheartedly.

Sasuke gave her a look that seemed to question her sanity as he released her wrist.

After wiping a tear from the corner of her eye-seemingly finding her reason as she calmed-she grabbed the first outfit off the top of the box of her tailored clothes and headed to the bathroom to change.

When she returned, dressed in one of the everyday outfits that fit exactly right, he noted she still seemed amused at the situation. At the very least, she seemed to have forgotten the state of her hair.

He resisted the urge to ask her what she found so amusing.

"That should shut them up for a while..." She placed a hand on her hip as she busied herself with contemplating where to put her box of clothes, appearing to have simply spoken to herself, and answering his unasked question, "Though, don't think you've won just yet." She added.

"What happened to you worrying that I'd kill you?" He asked, noting she had been in his presence without a single weapon, unless she had hidden it somewhere... His mind threatened to wander until he was distracted by her response.

"I figured you'd have tried by now." She shrugged, having decided to pick the box up and place it at the foot of the couch.

He took note of the way she had said he would only be able to 'try'-implying he could not succeed. He wasn't sure what annoyed him more-her initial paranoia around him, or her new-found cockiness, which could have conceivably been an after-effect of having become an ANBU for a few years.

Yet even without his debt to Naruto, he knew he would not consider harming her, for there would be nothing to gain in doing so. His desire to sever bonds with those from Konoha had died along with Madara, and he was not fond of the idea of the war it would undoubtedly cause between the Hidden Leaf village and his own.

He wondered vaguely if he would even try very hard to retaliate should she ever decide to attack him. As far as he was concerned, he would have only two options in any future confrontation: either incapacitate her, rendering her unable to continue fighting, or allow her to take her revenge.

The latter option had, after all, been the very same his own brother had allowed him.

Still, he could not die yet-not with his most recent goal unfinished.

He had to continue leading his village.

Xx

The ensuing few hours had passed uneventfully.

Sasuke had settled into an armchair, picked up several books, and had continued to leaf through their pages, successfully ignoring Sakura's presence.

Sakura had spent a good hour in the washroom attempting to wash out any trace of the blue, but was met with very little success. All she had managed to accomplish was to fade the purple slightly, turning it to a strange light mauve taupe colour.

Afterwards, she had settled herself onto the couch, deciding to sharpen and polish her weapons.

Unfortunately, having been well-practiced in this area, she had soon found herself without anything to do. She had simply sat on the couch; arms crossed, and had deliberately avoided looking at the only other occupant of the room.

The sound of him flipping the pages of his books had not helped her growing irritation caused by insufferable boredom.

In Konoha, she had barely had the time to eat with how busy her missions, duties to the Hokage, and hospital shifts had kept her. Moments of relaxation had been extremely rare.

She had made up her mind a few minutes later, deciding she would require sustenance.

She had begun to make her way to the double-doors of Sasuke's room when she heard him set his most recent book upon the side table.

She hadn't needed to look to know he would follow her out.

Xx

Presently, they found themselves seated at a kitchen table. Sasuke was leaning his elbows against it, fingers laced before him in his usual posture as he stared past his hands at the pots and pans on the stove. Sakura was playing lazily with a strand of her off-colour hair, seemingly moping.

She had discovered that the chakra signatures of the advisors and of Team Hawk rarely left the Otokage's complex. Sasuke had led her past multiple sitting rooms, kitchens, washrooms and offices, and she knew the upper floor which contained many bedrooms stretched all around the building. It was clear the council members, his team, certain members of his guard, and several assistants, actually lived in the same building. It seemed to make sense, given the size of the village, and the construction in the eastern district, for despite the wonderful design of many of the structures, there was a sense of lack of room for the ever-growing city. The communal environment was both somewhat welcoming and somewhat uncomfortable to Sakura after having spent a few years living solo in Konoha, and having experienced the rather solitary nature of her career. Welcoming, because it reminded her of days when she would spend time with the other Konoha teams, celebrating successful missions with trips to Ichiraku, and revelling in each other's company; and uncomfortable, because those around the complex were strangers, the man sitting across from her now having even been an enemy at one point, and she was merely a visitor to their home.

The timer on the stove went off, jarring her from her contemplations and disrupting the silence.

She shoved the chair back, standing to tend to the now cooked yakisoba noodles and miso soup. A minute later, the rice cooker clicked off. She plated the yakisoba, ladled out the miso into two bowls, and formed the rice into onigiri, wrapping them neatly in dried seaweed.

She placed the yakisoba on the middle of the table, and put one of the bowls of soup in front of Sasuke. She turned to get the onigiri, plating it too alongside slices of tomato, and setting it down in front of him.

After turning to get her own bowl of miso, she passed him some utensils as she made her way back to her chair, and became aware of the way he had not yet moved, and had simply been observing her, as if curious of her actions.

She took a heaping spoonful of miso and ate it, enjoying the taste of tofu and green onion, deliberately keeping her attention on her food.

It wasn't until she reached to take one of the plates of yakisoba once her miso was finished that she paused and looked at him.

"I didn't poison it." She offered, hoping he would get the hint and start eating too.

He looked down at the onigiri, though she was unable to discern any kind of expression, as stoic as it always was.

It was the longest two minutes of her life before he finally picked up one of the onigiri and bit into it.

He made no reaction as he took a few more bites, before picking up a pair of chopsticks and plucking up one of the slices of tomatoes, eating it alongside the last morsels of the onigiri. As he made to start on his miso, Sakura noticed she had been staring before quickly returning to her noodles.

They ate in an almost-comfortable silence.

As their bowls and plates cleared, Sakura had been mostly picking at her remaining yakisoba, having become lost in thought, as she heard Sasuke's chair scrape across the floor.

She glanced up and watched him clear away his dishes, rinsing and stacking them in the sink.

She was sure he would head back to the room without a word, leaving her to finish eating alone.

Sighing, she stuffed a few more noodles into her mouth, before standing and picking up her unfinished plate.

Just as she turned towards the sink, she noticed the Uchiha had not yet left. Instead, he was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, apparently debating whether he should say something.

"Thank you." He muttered, before disappearing beyond the doorframe.

The plate she was holding slipped from her fingers, but she snapped out of her shock just fast enough to swiftly snatch it back up before it smashed on the floor.

"You're welcome..." She mumbled to the empty room as she turned to tidy up the mess.

She forced herself to repeat the various motions and names of hand seals in her mind as she washed the dishes, effectively distracting herself from picturing a much younger version of Sasuke.

Still, her inner mantra was doing very little to slow her now pounding heart beat.

Xx

Karin frowned. She had been in the middle of her daily patrol of Otogakure's prison, when it had dawned on her how she had vaguely recognized the pink-haired wench.

It was eight year ago-the day Sasuke had...

She shuddered suddenly at the recollection of his Kusanagi running through her and the incredibly evil chakra surrounding him that day.

She'd resigned to the fact that he was too far gone. She recalled the pinkette had interfered. Back then, she hadn't looked so...for lack of a better word, _tough_. Her delicate features still had a childlike grace, and she'd seemed so conflicted. Karin recalled warning the girl of Sasuke's intent, and the way the girl had taken her to keep her out of harms way. But most of all, she remembered the sadness as the girl wept for the same realization she'd had: Sasuke had been more than lost.

She had accompanied the kunoichi to Konoha, along with what she had learned were the remnants of Sasuke's former team. When rumours of Otogakure's reformation had reached the Hidden Leaf village, she had pled with the Hokage to let her off her guard duty. She had played the role of jailor after she had gained their trust. The Godaime had granted her permission to investigate, only as long as she reported back with her findings.

She never would have guessed that Sasuke was behind it. She had both wished and expected he had been dead. When she noted a ghost of his Chuunin exam self had returned, his chakra no longer exuding such evil and corruption, she'd been just about ready to forgive him, as obsessed as she was.

It was soon after her return that Suigetsu and Jugo had found their way back as well. Team Hawk had been reunited. She had decided to defect from Konoha, having only gone back once to inform the Godaime that Otogakure had indeed been reformed, although it would not pose a threat. She hadn't let Konoha's leader know the identity of the Otokage. The Godaime hadn't seemed too torn up by her decision...After all; she hadn't truly been a Konoha-nin in the first place.

What really sent her mind reeling however was why the girl from all those years ago had changed so much...

She'd seemingly cared deeply for Sasuke at the time, and yet here she was, constantly glaring at him-perhaps with a similarity to the way Sasuke had once glared at anything that approached him.

She considered then, that maybe the pinkette had been planning this all along-thinking that she'd have a better chance with the Uchiha if she played hard to get.

Karin cracked her knuckles. She wasn't going to let the pink-haired freak win.

Sasuke-kun was hers.

Xx

Night had crept up on Sakura after they had eaten. She had found reviewing techniques in her mind would only work for so long, and had decided to ask an advisor she had come across where the village's library was. To her dismay, he had informed her that the library was one of the incomplete buildings in the eastern district. He had however, found her a few of his own books and had let her borrow them for as long as she wanted.

She'd spent the entire afternoon pouring over their contents. It took her but five pages to understand what the books were about.

They were records from the time when Orochimaru had conducted his countless experiments-many signed by Yakushi Kabuto, and others signed by the Sannin himself.

She was amazed that the advisor, whose name she had learned was Toru, had bothered to keep them.

The contents of their pages were often gruesome, some of the details even turning her stomach. She had known the Sannin had been a twisted man, what with his snake-like features and obsession of Sasuke, but the steps he had taken to even develop the curse seal were just _sick. _

She was on the third book that Toru had leant her, when she turned to a page near the end and paused. The advisor's name was at the top of the record. She traced her fingers down the page as she read the details of what had been done to the poor man. They had injected him with one of the worst poisons Sakura had ever learned of in her studies. It caused it's victims to feel as though their own blood was on fire. They had used it to see how long Toru could have withstood the obscene amounts of pain. He'd had the ability to mould his chakra into an armour-like barrier. This unique ability had caught Orochimaru's attention, as he had been ever-searching for new pawns. If Orochimaru could gauge how effective the barrier was against the poison-if the barrier prevented inner as well as external damage-he would find a way to mimic his technique when producing the power of the curse seal.

From the record, however, it seemed Toru was even more susceptible to the poison than most-having nearly died from the test. They had thrown him back into a cell in one of the old bases, believing he would die even after having administered the antidote. The prison form had been included, signed by Karin, one of Otogakure's original citizens, and apparently willing Orochimaru follower.

She flipped through a couple more pages, before finding a follow-up report, explaining that Toru had lived, though he had lost the ability to manipulate his chakra in the same way as before, rendering his techniques useless. He had been asked if he could describe the experience of the poison within his system. Sakura shuddered as she read his response.

He had said it was as though they had poured molten lava into his veins. He had wanted nothing more than to tear away at his own flesh in an attempt to drain himself of his blood.

Sakura flipped to the last page. At first glance, she was simply going to skim it as she had so many others, but it was the name at the top of this record, too, that caught her eye: Jugo.

She read the page in its entirety, going back to read it a second time, and then a third. It was after this revision that she realized the record was incomplete, the book having had several of its pages torn out. Although at first disappointed, her interest in what was available to her kept her occupied.

The first page contained the explanation of how Orochimaru had believed Jugo could be the key to the curse seal. It detailed how Jugo might, after a few more tests, demonstrate that he would be the curse seal's originator.

She would be sure to speak with the orange-haired man the next chance she had. New knowledge to Sakura was like candy to a child-she simply couldn't get enough.

She put the book down on the coffee table in Sasuke's room after reading the last page enough times to have its contents memorized. She stood and stretched, before realizing the Otokage was watching her from his chair near the windows. He had continued his earlier reading after their shared meal.

Neither had exchanged another word since.

She suddenly felt guilty-as though she should have asked his permission before examining the records of his village. She shook the feeling, reminding herself that the records rightfully belonged to Toru, and he had quite willingly leant them to her. Besides, she wasn't even sure if he could tell what they were from where he sat, or whether he would even recognize them.

Deciding to break their awkward staring contest, she picked the books up and placed them in her box at the foot of the couch, before saying, "I wasn't sure if you still liked onigiri."

She turned to see his expression, which hadn't changed in the least.

If she had thought bringing up something relatively neutral would break the tension, she had been mistaken. If anything, it might have made the atmosphere worse.

Xx

Sasuke listened to her attempt at a conversation, and made no move to respond.

He felt as conflicted as he had earlier that day when they had been in one of his kitchens.

He couldn't comprehend why it was that she hadn't forgotten what his favourite food had been, or why she had taken it upon herself to make sure that was what he would eat.

Perhaps she had finally been able to push aside her frustration with him, realizing that she would need to do so for another thirteen days, and that acting on her loathing would be detrimental to their goals.

He almost scoffed at the idea. No matter how much time had passed, he figured Sakura would never be that rational, or capable of reigning in her emotions, and letting her grudge go.

Whatever it was, it nearly gave him a headache trying to understand the girl's annoying actions.

What frustrated him further was the fact that he had no idea of how she had managed to get her hands on copies of the old records of Orochimaru's experiments. He assumed an advisor had something to do with it, as meddlesome as they had become in the past few days, though he couldn't figure out how he felt about the fact that she was exploring what his once-mentor had been capable of.

He settled on the fact that he probably should not care, though Sakura would undoubtedly have a way of making it a big deal. She hadn't seemed to lose her knack of blowing things out of proportion in her early-twenties.

He looked at her mauve coloured hair that she had pulled back and tied up in an attempt to keep her attention away from its unusual state. She most definitely still over reacted.

The colour wasn't _that _bad.

He stopped himself before he could think of any more 'positive' thoughts of his ex-team mate.

"I didn't know you still cooked." He said without thinking.

Xx

"I have to...I live alone back home." Sakura offered, a bit surprised at his being forthcoming.

Sasuke didn't say anything to this, though she assumed the next part in the line of conversation would be to explain why.

"It's easier to live closer to the hospital and the Hokage's office." She began, "And my parents weren't-"

She was cut off as the sound of an alarm blared loudly.

Sasuke jumped up so quickly, that she had barely managed to blink before he had gone to his Kusanagi and pulled if from its stand.

"What's happening?" She shouted above the deafening sound.

"We're under attack." Sasuke said, "You can choose to stay here and wait until I come back, or you can come and fight." He had paused near his door to look back at her, waiting for an answer.

She had already fastened on a black vest over her white t-shirt, strapped her holster around her thigh, and was in the process of securing her medical-pack to her waist.

"I'm coming...I've been getting soft sitting around here all day." She replied, adrenaline now starting to flow through her veins. She grabbed her katana once she'd finished gearing up, before following the Uchiha from his room.

Xx

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked an advisor hurriedly as they stood just outside the Kage's complex.

Gathered around them were all nine of his advisors, geared and ready for battle, several of his guard, and Team Hawk.

"There's an unmarked force attacking our front gates. One of our scouts barely managed to escape when he and his squad were ambushed, though the others weren't so lucky..." The advisor pointed to a man who was lying on the ground a foot away from the gathering, bleeding out as a medical-nin worked furiously to try and heal him.

Sakura noticed the woman was having difficulties, seemingly channelling the wrong technique for the severity of the wounds. She made her way over to the dying man, pushing the medical-nin away gently before surging her own healing chakra into her palms.

The green glow of her chakra illuminated the deep puncture wounds and gashes as they knitted back together, healing both the inside damage and the external skin. She stepped back, muttering a few instructions to the medical-nin who had been observing with awe, and returned to Sasuke's side.

The medical-nin took the man away to do as Sakura had instructed. Sakura knew the man would make a full recovery.

"Thank you, Sakura-san." Toru said appreciatively, apparently having watched the interaction.

Sakura simply smiled at him, as Sasuke had begun to divide those gathered into specific units.

"Sakura and I will lead the defence. My team will be right behind us, and the rest of you will be our support. I need all of you to watch out for those who seem to be struggling. Tatsuya, notify the medical squads to take up the rear and heal anyone who has been injured. Osamu, make sure the Academy genin are being kept away from the battle and make sure all of our capable shinobi will be fighting. Let's move." He said, before the group disappeared into the night as they headed to their respected positions, Sakura sticking close to his side.

Xx

As they neared the front gates, Sakura heard Sasuke curse and turned to see he had activated his sharingan.

She looked to find what he was observing, and felt a similar dread.

The enemy forces had broken through the gates and were currently engaging several of Otogakure's shinobi. The number of the force seemed to match evenly with the number of Oto-nin who had come to the defence of their village, but they seemed to be struggling with the skill level of the attackers. Every single enemy wore nothing but black, having everything obscured but their eyes, and not a single hitai-ate was in sight. They had no desire for their village affiliation to be known, which only meant one thing-they weren't there on the orders of a Kage.

Mere feet from the oncoming wave of attackers, Sakura noticed several bodies lay scattered about the wreckage of the gates, and forced herself to focus back on the enemies before she could be able to identify to which side they belonged.

Sasuke dove at the first several attackers they met with, effectively slashing through torsos, limbs, and often, clones. He ran swiftly passed the first group he had felled, jumping off of a boulder that had been jutting out of the cracked earth, and launching himself at a group of fresh prey. They'd barely had half a second to notice a shadow, cast by a street lamp far above, was descending upon them. The light as they gazed upwards nearly blinding them, before the glint of a sword became the only indicator that death was upon them.

Sakura sprinted to a group at Sasuke's right, coming in at a low crouch, and flicking her wrists to release several poisoned shuriken. They spun madly through the air, before embedding themselves deep into the bodies of her targets. The enemies appeared as though they had been frozen in their tracks, the poison spreading like wildfire through their veins to paralyze them from the inside out-shutting down their internal systems.

They collapsed in a heap.

The small victory was short-lived as Sakura sensed a powerful chakra signature directly behind her and immediately bent her knees, arching back her upper body and throwing her arms up and over, her hands finding the earth and steadying her enough to keep her back from crashing into the ground. She felt a massive weapon miss her by a nose as it sliced through a few strands of stray hair. She forced chakra into her palms and used its force to propel herself forward and back into a standing position, this time jumping into the air to avoid another swing of an intimidating, two-handed axe.

"Stay still!" Growled the owner of the fierce looking weapon, his black uniform appearing more elaborate, having been embellished with spikes and chains. The man must have been nearly seven feet tall, with massive bulging muscles, undoubtedly necessary to wield the weight of the outrageous weapon.

"You first." Sakura challenged, unleashing half a dozen senbon just as she landed a few feet from him. They impaled several pressure points along the arm that wielded the axe, forcing the massive man to drop it with a loud clanging noise. Two other enemies barrelled in at her after hearing the commotion, while the bulky man, although disarmed, used his unhindered arm to shove a forceful blast of chakra towards her, calling out an unknown name of a technique as he did so.

Sakura, her focus having been on the two new challengers, had drawn her katana, and in one fluid motion decapitated them both when they'd approached, before they had even managed to take their next breath. Unfortunately, she became aware of her previous opponent's attack a second too late, and was sent flying into a tree by the force of the blast. It felt as though he'd whipped a boulder into her left side, and it seared with pain as her right side became crushed against the bark of the tree, littering her exposed skin with deep gashes.

She cursed, and fought to regain her bearings, pushing green chakra into her palms to quickly heal her right side.

She faced her opponent who was now looming over her, an eager glint in his eye as though he was excited that he was about to crush the life from her. He aimed a punch at her with his massive left fist. Having been pinned between the tree and the enemy, Sakura smirked as she realized her only option was to meet force with force.

She immediately dropped her katana, pushing chakra into her right fist, and watched as their punches collided.

Her dainty little arm and slender wrist were unharmed as she watched as the collision seemed to ripple through the man's gigantic fist, all the bones in his muscular arm shattering and splintering upon impact. He bellowed in agony, infuriated at having both arms rendered useless.

Sakura flash stepped behind him, wrapping her arms around his broad neck in a choke hold. He thrashed about, howling in anguish, being unable to pry her off. He turned and slammed her back into the tree in an attempt to crush her from him. She cried out in pain, tightening her hold on him, before clenching her teeth together in a grimace while he stumbled back away from the tree.

Sakura gave one quick pulse of chakra to her arms, tightening her grip further, and before he would be able to slam her into the tree again, she snapped his neck in two.

She jumped off of his back, landing agilely, and watched him fall with a resounding crash.

She quickly snatched her katana up from the ground, and turned to find the next unsuspecting fool.

She ignored the bruises blooming over her body, the blood trickling from her lip, and the cuts and scrapes she didn't want to waste chakra healing, but she couldn't help wincing in pain from what she felt was a fractured rib.

She looked up to see another peculiar enemy, dressed in a buckled, strappier version of the unmarked uniforms, and forced herself to deal with the tormenting injury. It would take more than a little battle-healing to deal with the mending of bones.

Xx

Sasuke kept a close eye on the chakra signatures of Sakura and Team Hawk. He could feel their movements from beside, and behind him, as they fought against their unknown foes.

Suigetsu had apparently been having a great time, what with finally having the approval from Sasuke to kill, and being able to wield his precious sword in his very expert-like, and deadly ways-kenjutsu being his most favoured strong suit. Jugo was not having the same experience in the least, with his general desire to avoid confrontation, and difficulty in fighting against his enraged state. He had begun a partial transformation in order to best many opponents at once, hoping the current level would be enough for him to manage through the fight, and that he would not have to reach a fully transformed state, in which he would lose his mind to his murderous side. Should that happen, there was no telling whether he would bother to differentiate between friend and foe. Karin fought by Jugo's side, hoping to keep an eye on him as much as he would be protecting her. She had few combat abilities that would be able to stand up against the skill level of their enemies, though she timed basic attacks with her superior chakra sensing technique to the point that she became effective enough in her own way-slipping whatever weaponry she had on her into the soft flesh of any enemy that thought they would be able to sneak up on Jugo.

It seemed as though Team Hawk, Sakura, and the Otokage himself would be quite capable of dealing with the assailants. His advisors and the highest ranking Oto-nin however, seemed barely on par with the attackers, while lower ranking nin struggled desperately with each new opponent they faced.

More Oto-nin corpses littered the ground than did the unmarked shinobi's.

Sasuke made to bark orders at the weaker defenders to stay together, before being interrupted as he realized he was surrounded by many of the aggressors.

He faced a large group of the unmarked attackers, each varying in height and size, wielding different weapons, ranging from sickles to bombs to short-bows. They undoubtedly believed sheer strength in numbers would be able to outmatch the Otokage. He smirked as he felt an attack coming at him from behind, spinning and catching the shinobi in the gut with his trademark lightning ability. The _pa-chi-chi-chi _of the Chidori sliced through the man's stomach, his blood dripping down Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke threw the man to the ground as the death of their comrade spurred his surrounding opponents into action. They became nothing but blurs as they sprinted, flash stepped, clashed in mid-air, and unleashed their fury on the Uchiha. Occasional cackles of blue lightning distinguished the Otokage from his targets. Screams cut through the sounds of the battle around them as an enemy became trapped in a hellish nightmare by the sharingan.

A bomb went off near the chaos, blowing up the area, and sending Sasuke skidding backwards, arms shielding his face.

Bolts shot at him in rapid fire from nearby on a high roof top. He sprinted away from the barrage, hoping to get out of the bowman's line of sight, but was clipped and caught by a few of their steel points. They had managed to shred both clothes and flesh, and had nailed him in his left shoulder. His own blood mingled with that of those he had already killed.

He quickly circled around the building upon which the bowman resided, being pursued by those who had engaged him in combat, and jumped up to the rooftop, hoping to dispatch the shooter before he could take out too many of Otogakure's struggling defenders.

The bowman had seemed to predict his approach, and was facing the ledge the Otokage had just landed skilfully upon. He took aim, but blinked and the Uchiha had disappeared, having left his now confused-looking pursuers in his place.

The smell of burnt flesh filled the bowman's nostrils as he heard the shrill call of the chidori crackling along the Kusanagi's blood-soaked blade. He looked down, stunned to see his arms had been severed and cauterized by the lightning's heat. A scream of agony that had begun to bubble up from his throat was interrupted as Sasuke slashed it with a kunai, silencing him. The chidori dissipated.

His pursuers jumped at him, and he threw the kunai into the forehead of one of them, only to have it disappear in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke jumped backwards off the edge of the roof, landing agilely on the ground below, and watched as his pursuers clamoured over the edge like silent shadows slipping after him.

It was then that he heard rather than saw the trouble that Sakura was in, having discerned her gasp of pain rather clearly over the din of the battle. She had been keeping close to him, and was directly to his right, more than a dozen enemy bodies leaving a trail behind her.

He glanced with his peripherals to his former team mate. She was slumped over, clutching at her side with a glowing green hand, a look of pain set on her face. The enemy she faced had peculiar whip-like weapons, one in each hand, and each ending in three curved blades.

Sasuke focused his attention to those coming at him. Four remained from the original group that had surrounded him. He began to back cautiously toward where he had seen Sakura, ending up pretty well back to back with her.

"What's wrong?" He muttered so only she could hear when there was a lag in the fighting as each combatant waited for their opponents to make the first move.

"Fractured rib...Grazed on the same side by whatever those are." Sakura answered through gritted teeth, indicating the strange whips.

"Help me with these four and we'll take him out." Sasuke ordered, knowing that she was at a disadvantage alone as her opponent had apparently learned where her injuries were-a weakness that could very well cost her, her life.

Sakura nodded, forcing back a groan of agony as she straightened, pretending as though she was no longer wounded. She tightened her grip on her katana.

She charged at the whip-wielding enemy and gave a battle cry.

The enemy snapped his whips at her, effectively slashing through the head-on attack, cutting through her with all six blades.

She was replaced by seven pieces of chopped wood.

Sasuke smirked, seeing the kunoichi's plan, and turned his back on the four that had pursued him. He let lightning dance around his form as he dashed towards the whip wielding man.

The four he had ignored began to charge at the raven-haired man's back, until they realized why he had been so unconcerned about their presence.

Sakura's fist came smashing up from underground, effectively throwing all four unmarked shinobi several feet away along with the debris. As she came up into the air, she launched a barrage of kunai and shuriken into their unbalanced forms, each one having been laced with a different poison.

Two were killed instantly from having been sliced or punctured in critical areas, not needing the poisons effect to work at all.

The other two weren't as lucky. Having hit non-critical areas, they had both laughed at Sakura and had dug the weapons out from their bodies, grunting a little, before realizing that something was incredibly wrong. Unlike the paralyzing poison she had used earlier, these poisons were designed to ensure their victims _felt _the pain of death, and were normally reserved for only the most extreme cases of missing-nin hunting. Sakura was, however, running low on supplies, not exactly having brought her entire store of weaponry and poisons.

Both men could only scream in terror as they suffered bone disintegration, leaving nothing but a squishy, mushy, mess of skin and insides. Sakura shuddered, having briefly acknowledged how little difference there might have been between her and Orochimaru, before turning to help Sasuke deal with the whip-wielding shinobi.

Sasuke was engaged in close-combat with their enemy, apparently having decided that it would hinder the whip's ranged abilities. It seemed it was useless to hope for an advantage however, when their enemy managed to wrap one of the whips around Sasuke's right arm, dislodging his Kusanagi from his grip, and dislocating his shoulder. Sasuke grunted in pain, though Sakura could tell it took every bit of his strength to not cry out and show weakness.

Sakura quickly jumped into action, using her katana while their enemy was preoccupied to slice through the tough leather bound around Sasuke's forearm. The whip man became enraged to see one of his weapons had been destroyed before rounding on Sakura, three sharp blades flashing through the air in her direction. Again, his incredible speed and precision nicked her arm, blood seeping from the deep gashes as she sprinted around him trying to keep one step ahead of his lashes.

Sasuke used his injured left arm to shove his right shoulder back into place with a loud, crunching pop. He growled low at the pain, before grabbing his Kusanagi and charging in at the man responsible.

He and Sakura danced around the skilled man, each taking turns to launch creative attacks at him, though finding little success. Sasuke had sheathed his sword momentarily to pull out the bolt from his left shoulder and stab it into the eye socket of another enemy who had thought he could interfere with their battle and had been rushing towards Sakura. Sakura had spun around to slice through the stomach of another hopeful enemy who had been hoping to get a shot in at Sasuke during their altercation, effectively disembowelling the poor fool. They watched each other's backs as they engaged the whip-wielding man.

Xx

An advisor was nearby, having just dispatched his enemy, though the battle had been long and gruelling. He glanced over to check on the Otokage's location, being stricken with awe to see how gracefully and yet fiercely his leader and his new fiancé fought side by side. It was mesmerizing to observe how impressive their nearly matching skill levels were, and it left him hopeful that she was indeed a good choice after all.

He quickly scanned the area, noting the Oto-nin were struggling, some having unleashed abilities they had earned as a result of being a part of Orochimaru's experiments. It was a gruesome sight, and he was thankful for the distraction an approaching opponent served.

Xx

Sakura knew the strength of their enemy lay in his remaining whip, and without it they would be able to eliminate him easily. Still, his expert movements and unfamiliar techniques gave him the upper hand as he seemingly was always half a step ahead of her and Sasuke.

She could tell Sasuke was becoming impatient and knew he would soon finish the fight with one of his many impressive techniques. She just hadn't expected he would use one she knew would take a great toll on him.

Black flames erupted upon the sleeve of the whip man's uniform, spreading to his hand, his weapon, his shoulder, his neck, and to his face. He screamed in agony as the eternal fire seared his flesh.

Sakura watched as the man's skin melted away, revealing only a pile of skull and bones, and filling the air with a ghastly stench.

She looked over to Sasuke and saw him smearing blood across his cheek in an attempt to wipe away the aftermath of his ability. The irises of his mangekyou slowly receded.

It was then she heard many loud screams and shouts coming from the back of the clashing forces. A beat up looking man came up to the Otokage, a look of sheer terror upon his features.

"F-from the back! N-nearly two hundred more!" He exclaimed. It was clear he did not believe they would survive.

It was one of the oldest tactics in the book. So old and so typical in fact, that it had been completely overlooked by Sasuke, who would not have guessed they would try and employ it.

"Damn it!" He cursed. He had set up the medical-nin forces behind the fray, hoping it would keep them out of immediate danger.

"Keep pushing this wave back." He barked the order to Sakura, before calling for any nearby who were not currently engaged to come over to him. Two of his advisors and Suigetsu flash stepped over to him.

"'Sup?" Suigetsu asked. He was covered in bloody gore.

"Help her force these idiots back to where they came from." Sasuke informed them, before turning to sprint off in the direction of the new wave spilling into the battle. They watched him a few moments as he grabbed any available nin to aid him along the way.

Sakura turned towards the front gates, the members of her makeshift squad following behind her.

She had a gut feeling that separating from Sasuke might have been a bad idea, but forced herself to put her all into stopping the oncoming enemies from getting further into the village as they continued to rush in from the front gates.

Xx

It was nearly an hour of fighting back the unmarked enemies before Sakura paused to wipe sweat from her brow, undoubtedly smearing a clean streak through the dirt and grime on her forehead. Her body ached and her chakra was depleting quickly. She knew she would have to back off soon if she expected to live through the attack, but was resolved to keep up her determined appearance to inspire those who fought alongside her. She could tell Suigetsu's attacks were becoming slower as he exhausted as well. He had stopped beside her, taking a swig of water from one of the bottles he kept hanging from his waist.

"They better quit comin' soon or we're gonna lose." He muttered, apparently having grown less amused with the concept of fighting and killing.

They had hacked and chopped and sliced and impaled foe upon foe. The battlefield in front of the gates was strewn with corpses. The advisors had more wounds on their bodies than did Sakura and Suigetsu, but they were all worn down and beat up. Those who had managed to slip past Sakura's temporary team and into the village were met with the other Otogakure forces, including Jugo and Karin. Few enemies made it to the town's centre from the front gates, though Sakura often looked back to see where the new wave had broken through. The small cluster of forces Sasuke had managed to dig up to help him defend in that area looked worse than they did.

What was worse, the medical-nin teams had been taken off guard. Many had died in the initial surprise assault. More than half of the dead bodies belonged to Otogakure-nin, and Sakura knew many of them may have been saved had there been more medical support.

As the Otogakure forces continued to push back the wave at the front gates, weapons clashing and blood spilling all about her, she chanced a moment to search for Sasuke's flash of the chidori in the masses fighting behind them.

Her heart began to pound as she realized there were no white-blue flashes.

An opponent charged at her, and she distractedly dispatched him, shoving her katana through the roof of his mouth without a second glance as she kept her focus on the other cluster of forces.

After observing not a sign of any of Sasuke's signature techniques-not a flash of lightning, not a flare of fire, nothing-she came to the conclusion that something was wrong.

She flicked a kunai into a man's jugular as he leapt at her, before turning slightly to look at Suigetsu, who had just finished assassinating two opponents that had been engaged in combat with other Oto-nin.

"I'll be right back..." She called to him. He glanced over at her and nodded to show he understood before turning and silencing another group of enemies forever.

Sakura dashed off towards the second group of defenders.

She pushed what little chakra she could spare out towards the mass of clashing bodies in an attempt to pick out the Otokage's chakra signature.

She found it near the head of the forces, but frowned as she noticed how faint it had become.

XxTBCxX

**Author's Note:** Phew 25 pages! This one's a longer chappie because I know I won't be able to update for a little bit (about two weeks or so) because I've got four annoying essays, and several midterms to accomplish in that time lol. So I hope this is satisfactory enough for now. I had lots of fun writing the battle bits. I wanted more action and less just talking or feeling awkward going down. I needed a major ice-breaker or something to get things kind of going between Sakura and Sasuke and I'm hoping this fight will act as that. You'll get to see more gritty action scenes next chapter, learn about what the hell is going on, and see what's up with Sasuke...So I hope you guys will look forward to that! There's also going to be some development when it comes to Sakura's feelings...I wanted to show in this chapter that she's accepted that she kills people for a living as much as she saves others in her spare time, but she still can't really handle seeing people horrendously tortured too much...I didn't want to make her too desensitized just yet-she hasn't been an ANBU for too long after all. I also wanted to get her out of her "annoying" persona...She was even pissing me off when I was writing her what with all her anger and her hating of the hottest man in the Narutoverse haha. So I wanted to show she can still be smart, cunning, and sly but still very vulnerable and still (maybe) has dormant feelings for him hehe. It's easier to write Sasuke who doesn't really having very many feelings to express anyways...as opposed to the conflicting personality of older, ANBU Sakura, who has actually matured very little. So yeah! Anywho, hope you liked! R&R! xo

P.S. I'm out of time to do review answers/shout outs this chapter, but know I loved reading each and every one of them and hearing everyone's opinions on the story so far! I will try my best to thank you all properly next chappie! Also, if you're bored waiting for Chapter 6 (which I've got planned already, couple pages written out too) then you can check out the beginnings of some new SasuSaku story ideas I've posted. _Lying From You_ will be focussed on of course, but my new ones are just to dabble with and have fun writing. Check 'em out!


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